'Art, as a metaphysical phenomenon, determines the spiritual level of the conscious and influences the development of society by affirming non material values.' —Niniko MorbedadzeExecuted in 2020, The Fairy Tale presents a scene of perspective and encounter. Figures fly through the night sky on the back of fire outlined creatures, whilst the people on the snow-covered streets below gaze up in amazement, stopped in their tracks. In the distance an illuminated ship sails along on the darkened sea. The floral dress of the figure in the foreground doubles as a magic carpet in this dreamlike scene. Nino Morbedadze paints a seaside town, which has no name, where the characters are in ‘labor and wind.’ The energy of movement is captured in the swooping lines and blowing hair. This scene invites the viewer to participate in the creation of an anecdote and to imagine what could possibly be. The Fairy Tale is typical of Niniko Morbedadze’s body of work as her visual representation of the sublime is encouraged to be interpreted.
Niniko Morbedadze belongs to a generation of Georgian artists whose career was forged in the turmoil of the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Born to David Morbedadze, a prominent Soviet era architect, her artistic practice was shaped by the uncertainty of socio-political changes. Morbedadze prefers to work with acrylic, India ink, coloured pencil and pen. She places importance on composition, working thoroughly to elicit a sense of familiarity in her subject matters influenced by cinematography through her experience as a production designer. She constructs recognisable yet otherworldly landscapes as intricate scenes for intimate encounters. The figures pass one another, only to cross paths again in future scenarios. Her depictions of the human body configure the stoicism of sculptures yet nimble dynamism creates a sense of energy and flow.
In her own words, Niniko Morbedadze’s creative process is fuelled by the subconscious. Recounting it in mechanical terms, she notes that her brain creates while her hand acts as a conduit, allowing the manifestation of that which exists beyond her conscious self. It is in essence, a description of automatism, the concept borrowed by André Breton from psychology to define Surrealism. Influence of the Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist theories in Morbedadze’s work is evident in how she describes her creative process. Yet her style and execution differ to those typically associated with these movements. Niniko Mordedadze’s works have been acquired into private collections spanning from London to San Diego as well to public collections such as the Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection at the Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey. She has exhibited internationally in Venice, Basel, Pittsburgh and San Diego in addition to numerous solo and group shows in Georgia.
Pages from the Catalogue of The Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection: From Gulag to Glasnost: Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union Provenance
CH64 Gallery, Tbilisi
Private Collection
217
The Fairy Tale
signed and dated 'NINIKOMORB20' lower right
India ink, acrylic, graphite and coloured pencil on paper
88.3 x 123.8 cm (34 3/4 x 48 3/4 in.)
Executed in 2020.
Estimate
£8,000 - 12,000 ‡
Sold for £22,680
Tamila Kerimova
Specialist, Director, Head of Day Sale, 20th Century & Contemporary Art
+ 44 20 7318 4065
tkerimova@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale
London Auction 16 April 2021
206
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