June 7-30, 2024

PATARA gallery is honoured to present CARRY ME GENTLY, the first solo exhibition by Mariam Gabritchidze.

This evocative collection of paintings, sculptures, and installations delves into the overlooked and undervalued labor of women, highlighting the flow of information and wisdom that has historically been passed down through generations. These are not the grand, heroic deeds celebrated in history books, but the quiet, essential acts of everyday life – cooking, folding laundry, braiding hair – that have shaped cultures and nurtured communities.

In a patriarchal system that often devalues women's stories and their contributions, it is within the domestic sphere that our mothers, aunts, and grandmothers have preserved and conveyed profound knowledge. Through rituals of care and household activities, they translated their wisdom into the realm of what they were allowed to do, crafting a legacy that endures in the seemingly mundane. This exhibition shines a light on these invisible histories, celebrating the subtle yet powerful ways women have impacted the world.

Gabritchidze’s work captures the essence of this invisible knowledge, which grows within us like hair, only to emerge and connect us to the world. It is a melancholic yet magical space where memories and inherited wisdom form the threads that bind us to each other and to our shared heritage.

The exhibition space itself becomes a living installation, with braids functioning as clothing drying ropes, stretching across the gallery like a spider’s web. These braids hold various objects and paintings, with canvases removed from their stretchers and hanging like clothes on a line. This imagery symbolises the interconnectedness of women's experiences and the ways in which their unseen labor supports and uplifts the fabric of our lives.

As you move through this space, we invite you to reflect on the quiet strength and resilience of the women who have come before us. Their stories are woven into the very threads of our existence, creating an intricate cocktail of knowledge, care, and love. CARRY ME GENTLY is a tribute to the enduring legacy of women's invisible work and the powerful connections it fosters within our world.

Exhibition is financially supported by "Women's Fund in Georgia"
Gallery is supported by Tbilisi City Hall