Jesse Darling Takeshi Shiomitsu - Same Same

Curated by Elene Abashidze

On October 2, 2014 CAC41N/41E Contemporary Art Center, Batumi hosted an opening of Same Same – an exhibition into two parts.

The exhibition was spread onto two physical sites alongside the eastern coast of the Black Sea in Georgia. These are: CAC41N/41E Contemporary Art Center, Batumi, and a mapped site at the seashore of Anaklia region, at the beach of the unfinished project of Lazika City. 
To travel between the sites a bus by appointments was provided for the audience. This is how, through the constant movement of the bus, the exhibition developed its double-winged architecture.

An offsite part of the exhibition introduced a site as a ready-made exhibition. During the time of the project, Anaklia region was in the process of building a breakwater. As a part of this process, Tetrapods were produced at the site and lined-up in waiting: they were to be placed in the sea by the end of 2014.

A tetrapod - a four-legged concrete structure, which is a crucial component of a breakwater, was the starting point for the theme of the project. 
This structure known for its efficiency during the natural disasters such as Tsunami is also used for military purposes. During the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict, Tetrapods were used as tank-traps. Considering the geopolitical position of Anaklia, here the Tetrapods embodied their double function. Same Same investigated such double life of some objects and questioned notions, such as state of emergency and defense systems.

Invited London-based artists Jesse Darling and Takeshi Shiomitsu investigate the notions in their practice and reflect upon the nature of a Tetrapod both as a metaphor and as a functional object. During the ten days of their stay in Batumi, the artists produced a collaborative work with materials found and purchased in the city. The collaborative work in multiple installations was presented at CAC41N/41E Contemporary Art Center, Batumi and remained open for public through the period of two-months time.

Project is supported by and realized in collaboration with:



Same Same in press:

http://www.aqnb.com/2014/10/25/the-making-of-same-same/

Tbilisi Out, Issue 44, November,

2014: http://i2.minus.com/i3QOfJ5948ahN.jpg

Photos by Jesse Darling and Takeshi Shiomitsu