Irina Gabiani

Cherish the child within you, 2006; Secret words, 2004; Sephiroth, 2004

Irina Gabiani (1971) lives and works in Luxemburg.

Active since the mid 90's, she has become a conceptual artist who works with the combined worlds of visuals, sculptures (frequently in porcelain and ceramics) and stage performance, creating surprisingly symbolic art.

Irina was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. She studied at J.nikoladze Art collage and at 1990 applied to the Tbilisi State Academy of Art (painting and drawing department). From 1994 to 1997 she studied "Free Direction" and Jewelry at Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Art, Amsterdam.

Irina has a long list of performances, solo and group exhibitions, including galleries as The Total Kunst Gallery, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Velan Centre for Contemporary Art, Torino (Italy); Guildford LaneGallery ,Melbourne (Australia); Unione culturale Franco Antonicelli, Torino (Italy); Georgian Cultural Centre Mziuri, Moscow (Russia) ; Wannabee Gallery, Milano (Italy); Beaumontpublic, Luxembourg (Luxembourg); Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche - Spazi Bomben per la Cultura, Trevizo (Italy); Zaion Gallery , Biella (Italy); Museo Civico del Broletto, Salone Arengo, Novara (Italy); Formverk Art space, Eskilstuna (Sweden); Galleria Giancarlo Salzano, Torino (Italy); National Gallery, Tbilisi (Georgia);

I was introduced to her works recently, by searching for her online, after we both took part in the "Stop waiting Georgia" exhibition at the Tbilisi Historical Museum – Carvasla.

Irina's art is closely associated with the literary movement of symbolism and the extensive dualistic visions of her icons are representation of her deep philosophical views. It leads us to the complexity of the universe, its parallel realities and back to our world with its every day surroundings, rules and systems.

I'm happy to have a possibility to feature in my blog some of Irina Gabiani's art. I hope that in the future this blog will also feature some performance documentations and maybe few words about it as well.

The dance of life, 2006; The Slaves of the System, 2005; Samaia or triamazikamno, 2007

Ilona B.Keil

After 10 years of being apart, we meet again. Strange that this happens in Düsseldorf; the city of glamour, brands and the known art academy (from which I still hear echoes of Beuys, Richter and Gründgens).

This evening Ilona showed me her most private works and, according to her, her first conceptual series. Without saying so, it feels that this series is too private to display publicly right now, but one day we both might feel differently.

So, I post for now some other great and poetic works by Ilona: one was made after her first visit to Düsseldorf and the other is her 2005 portrait of Gerhard Richter.

Translation from German

I wanted to keep you "true" in my memory; I did not make a photo of you.

Next day I went to the place, where we sat together, I wanted to keep the image of what we have seen together.