Skip to main content

Being on the Mind of Caucasus Mountains: Sophia Cherkezishvili



The Georgian National Museum network presents Sophia Cherkezishvili’s “Being on the Mind of Caucasus Mountains” at the Tbilisi History Museum from 27 September to 11 October 2019.

"When I look at the Caucasus in front of me, I think that everything is possible, that it hears my voice, it sees me, follows me, it is my energy. It protects me like a fence for the rest of my life. It is like a parent, big and fearless. My people live in these paintings with it." The project "Being on the mind of Caucasus Mountains" was created with this vision, consisting of paintings and installation objects.

Curated by Nino Gujabidze, in each of Cherkezishvili’s paintings, there is the shape of the Caucasus Mountains.  She creates an army of individuals resembling small mountains in a series “I am like you too." The women silhouettes are carved from wood. Visitors can become part of this army by putting their faces through the space in some of the wooden figures. 

The blue series "The Caucasus Thought of Me" shows a “resemblance to the door of an altar with a woman in a flower arch on a blue background: all women in blue robes indicate the Virgin.” 

Sophia Cherkezishvili says, “A woman is sometimes large and majestic, like a mistress of the mountains, sometimes a little girl jumping on a bed surrounded by mountains, like guards, sometimes a dreamer walking in the woods, and finally, a mother surrounded by a flower wreath; but everyone has bare breasts, with pronounced nipples as a sign of openness to the world, acceptance, concern for others, and at the same time it resembles a shooting target. And here I can't avoid another ‘sensitive thought’ that this is a symbol of our Motherland, its fate.."





















MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli (2015 translation): book review

The Knight in the Panther Skin (12th century, this edition 2015) is a recent translation by American poet and author, Lyn Coffin. The author, Shota Rustaveli, is Georgia’s most loved poet. This poem is mammoth, a magnum opus – it is 1,656 verses long, separated by chapters. But readers, don’t give up, because every verse is worth reading. It is akin to 1001 Arabian Knights, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, or Shakespearean poetry. King Rostevan of Arabia has a daughter, Tinatin. She loves the knight Avtandil and he loves her. Verse 368 from Avtandil: ‘The doctor’s could do nothing. A dark twilight on my heart now pressed, I was on fire because of love, but nobody knew or guessed. They blamed my blood. The king decided bleeding my arm would be best; I let it be done to hide the suffering I had not confessed.’ But a knight in panther skin is seen weeping, and subsequently kills the king’s soldiers, sparing the king. Before Tinatin weds Avtandil she r...