Nika Kutateladze and Tako Robakidze - La Maison Georgie

Maison Des Arts Georges & Claude Pompidou, 134 Avenue Germain Canet 46160 Cajarc, France

2 March - 26 May, 2024

Nika Kutateladze and Tako Robakidze are from Georgia, a country located in the heart of the Caucasus, on the eastern borders of Europe between Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. The practices of the two artists differ but they come together on a common observation, documentary for one, allegorical for the other, of their native country.

Using a multiplicity of mediums, Nika Kutateladze creates environments that are inspired by rural life in her grandfather's native village. His painted portraits, which reveal the ways of life of the villagers, alone or in community, most often take place in what resembles the precarious reconstruction of vernacular habitats. Tako Robakidze uses photography to create visual narratives. The result of long immersions in the field, his series of images tell the story of his country and the consequences of the upheavals it has experienced for more than thirty years. The rural world, community life, attachment to the land, adaptation to changing environments, exile emerge in each of the works of the two artists.

Brought together for the first time in the same exhibition, they are designing a unique installation together. Nika Kutateladze's paintings are made on prepared wooden panel, using a painting technique dating back to antiquity. For the first time, Tako Robakidze uses this same technique to present his images, thus creating an unprecedented formal connection between paintings and photographs. For the imposing structure which concludes the exhibition, created in situ, Nika Kutateladze was inspired by the vegetation and recycled materials in Cajarc and on the surrounding causses, in landscapes which are reminiscent of those of his Georgian village.