Tolia Astakhishvili, Simple judgments and polite answers, 2023.
Plasterboard, plaster, instant coffee, oil, dirt, acrylic, ballpoint pen, pencil, paper, plastic bucket, and dry plants.
300 x 181 x 250 cm.
Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
Tolia Astakhishvili, Gossip niche 2023. Detail. Ink on paper. 22 x 15,5 cm. Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
Tolia Astakhishvili, Plätzchen, 2023. Modeling clay. 10 x 6,5 x 1,20 cm. Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
Tolia Astakhishvili, Narrow shelter, 2023. Detail. Plasterboard, plaster, instant coffee, oil, dirt, acrylic, ballpoint pen, pencil, paper, wire, and string. 300 x 628 x 2,25 cm. Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
Tolia Astakhishvili, Narrow shelter, 2023. Plasterboard, plaster, instant coffee, oil, dirt, acrylic, ballpoint pen, pencil, paper, wire, and string. 300 x 628 x 22,5 cm. The main entrance, 2022-23.
Plasterboard, plaster, instant coffee, oil, machine oil, dirt, and wheat stalks. 316 x 346 x 1,2 cm. Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
Tolia Astakhishvili, Slow stick, 2023. Ulm wood from a beam of a dismantled house. 40 x 12,5 x 2 cm. Detail. Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
Tolia Astakhishvili, Simple judgments and polite answers, 2023. Plasterboard, plaster, instant coffee, oil, dirt, acrylic, ballpoint pen, pencil, paper, plastic bucket, and dry plants. 300 x 181 x 250 cm. Detail. Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
Tolia Astakhishvili, Moonlight accordion player and lies, day side, 2014. Acrylic on canvas, plasterboard, plaster, instant coffee, oil, dirt, and acrylic. 150 x 105 cm. Exhibition view of “I think it’s closed” at Kunstverein Bielefeld, 2023. Photography by Fred Dott. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Bielefeld.
In her artistic language, Tolia Astakhishvili refers to pasts and memories transported through space; be they intimate or political. The artist transforms the existing architecture with the help of sheetrock and thereby creates new spaces. Left raw in the process of construction, these walls redefine the floor plan of the exhibition space. Spaces are bisected, hidden windows revealed and new vantage points created. The way in which Astakhishvili’s pale walls alter the original exhibition space and its given logic triggers a specific orientation; as if the artist wanted to break through the order and authority of the institution. At the same time, she uses the new construction elements to design her own framework for her works, in which paintings, found objects, drawings, photographs and/or texts are integrated. Her drawings and paintings often depict ghosts or surreal beings. In this environment, they reveal traces of human presence that are both real and fictional, gentle, uncanny or even violent. A living place emerges that generates various psychological states and ultimately makes the poetics of space visible. Astakhishvili’s installations resemble a non-linear narrative that invites the viewer to explore different levels of consciousness of a physical space.
