In this new ongoing series of paintings Andro Semeiko's gestural calligraphic lines reference 19th Century Georgian poet Vazha Pshavela's work. The paintings explore multilayered meaning in the poet's verse. The works in the series also reference poems by Galaktion Tabidze and Titsian Tabidze who were inspired by Vazha Pshavela and created poetry with hidden layers of meaning critical of the Soviet totalitarian system. They were both victims of Stalin's Great Purge. In the paintings Dreaming Eagles (2021) and Portrait (2021), lines from their poems mingle with trompe l'oeil painted bullet holes.  

 

These painting have featured in the exhibitions 'Swirl of Words/ Swirl of Worlds', 4 June - 14 August 2021, at PEER, London, and Semeiko's solo exhibition 'If Only', 10 January 2022 - 31 January 2023, at the Georgian Embassy, London. You can read an article about the work by curator Ingrid Swenson here >

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