Thea Gvetadze's 'Becoming Thea Merlani' at M HKA: Monument to Gratitude
Keti Chukhrov examines Thea Gvetadze's solo exhibition 'Becoming Thea Merlani' at M HKA in Antwerp, which ran from 12 May to 2 September 2018, in an essay featured in Afterall on 29 November 2018. The exhibition showcases notable works such as 'Cabbage Hat' and 'Becoming Thea Merlani,' both from 2018, highlighting the experiences of laborers. Additionally, the painting 'If it takes forever, I will wait for you' (2012) portrays an elderly flower vendor. Gvetadze also includes male wanderers in 'Chepukha' and 'Shavi Shotebi' (2012) and explores familial themes in 'Esophagus Foreign Bodies' and 'Trachea Foreign Bodies' (2014). The key installation, 'Zeda Tsinsvla' (2017), draws inspiration from a Soviet-era mosaic located in Adjara, Georgia. Gvetadze's educational background includes studies at Tbilisi State Academy of Art, Rietveld Academy, and Düsseldorf Art Academy.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Becoming Thea Merlani' ran from 12 May to 2 September 2018 at M HKA in Antwerp.
- Essay by Keti Chukhrov published on Afterall on 29 November 2018.
- Works include 'Cabbage Hat' (2018), 'Becoming Thea Merlani' (2018), 'If it takes forever, I will wait for you' (2012).
- Readymades 'Esophagus Foreign Bodies' and 'Trachea Foreign Bodies' (2014) contain objects removed by her father, Dr. Paata Gvetadze.
- Central installation 'Zeda Tsinsvla' (2017) is a ceramic wall piece inspired by a Soviet bus stop mosaic in Adjara, Georgia.
- Gvetadze studied at Tbilisi State Academy of Art, Rietveld Academy, and Düsseldorf Art Academy.
- Essay references Rosalind Krauss's 'The Optical Unconscious' and Pier Paolo Pasolini.
- Gvetadze lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Entities
Artists
- Thea Gvetadze
- Max Ernst
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
Institutions
- M HKA
- Afterall
- Tbilisi State Academy of Art
- Rietveld Academy
- Düsseldorf Art Academy
- MIT Press
Locations
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Tbilisi
- Georgia
- Adjara
- Zeda Tsinsvla
Sources
- Afterall —