Starting October 18th, Tbilisi National Gallery will once again present the visionary world of Georgia’s versatile genius David Kakabadze. Along with his paintings across multiple genres, the meticulously curated show will include Kakabadze’s pioneering work on a glassless stereo cinematograph and revelatory research on the origins of Georgian ornamental art. Strolling through the aisles, you’ll keep wondering: how on earth could a single man accomplish so much?
A 20th-century prolific painter; accomplished stage designer; imaginative graphic artist; discerning art researcher and a pioneer of 3D cinema– David was all this and astonishingly, more. A respected professor, he also taught physics and math to young minds. Now this we call a one-man Renaissance!
“To cultivate acute perception, study the science of art; learn the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything is connected with everything”, Kakabadze wrote. For him, the universe functions as an inexhaustible, interwoven web where mastering one element illuminates the whole fabric. So he set out on a journey through a rainbow of pursuits ultimately meant to converge at a single point, One Knowledge.
This vision is very well captured in Kakabadze’s abstract paintings- his bold flirtation with deep-buried emotions and sublime shuffling of forms that almost refuse to stay put. It’s as if the whole universe struggles gently to find its nucleus.
Kakabadze’s artistic oeuvre manifests in a mesmerizing melange of genres. His form varies from subjectless, abstract paintings to Cubo-Futurist experimentation, but closest to his heart are the warm-colored landscapes of his homeland. The composition Imereti: My Mother captures a nostalgic, pensive figure of a mother, spinning under a tree. A chromatic view of Imeretian landscape opens up behind, overflowing with Georgian spirit and merging gracefully with the subtle ornamental pattern of mother’s scarf. The artist venerates Georgia, its colors, its textures, its soil, and the figurative image of the Mother- which unites all these.
Art historian Ketevan Kintsurashvili will touch on this and much more in her informative talk to launch the exhibition at 12, Shota Rustaveli avenue.
This stunning show will keep your eyes on their toes, running for almost a month through November 15 to ensure more people delight in it.
Attendance is free.
By Elene Dzebisashvili
