STAR CROSSED

Tamara Kvesitadz

A representation by artist Tamara Kvesitadze of the story of Ali (a Muslim Azerbaijani boy) and Nino (a Christian Georgian girl). But their relationship is doomed because of the strong cultural differences between the pair.

The beauty of Tamara’s work lies in its use of kinetics to represent the fleeting and sporadic nature of the couple’s relationship. In this instance its antagonism between religions that prevents people fulfilling their dreams. Her home, in Tblisi Georgis lies on the crossroads between Eastern and Western civilisations where societal tension is a way of life, continually disrupting the most basic of human endeavours and relationships.

Tamara’s sculpture was first constructed in 2010 on the beach at Batumi, on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. That piece is twice the size of the one we commissioned. Our piece is sited right in the heart of our property and it stands out particularly when the light reflects off the stainless steel surface of the figurines. That their forbidden love can only be fleeting is captured by the artist enabling the two figurines to pass through each other each time their rotation brings them together. As they approach they’re suddenly separating again.