The Why Not Gallery is glad to be taking part at the 6th edition of the NADA House in New York with a duo presentation of Gvantsa Jishkariani and Garbage Kids ‘The Last Days Have Long Passed’.
The exposition takes inspiration from the 19th-century former military residence where the exhibition takes place and offers a contemplative dialogue between materials and ways of expression.
The last days have long passed. What remains is what was kept locked in the weathered room of the old house. Dust and shadows cover the remnants of a forgotten age, each object whispering tales of prophecy and fate.
A painting of a cursed colourful mountains, appears as a gatekeeper between the old and new nations, its frame glowing with eerie knowledge. Beside the landscape, the broken wing of an angel lies in silent repose, and the delicate, broken wing of a butterfly reflects it like a mirror. Slogans promising revival after destruction are tightly embroidered on beautiful fabrics, but their optimism has been tarnished by time. A stained glass of the most sinful animal, the snake, is set in a rusted frame that still has drops of blood frozen on it.
It feels like the owner knew this was going to happen, like the warning signs were always there, hiding in plain sight. Escaping from it was never possible; the outcome was inevitable.
Yet, even in this room of relics, there are rays of light and hope. Candles lit by the angel’s wing, still flickering, fill the room with the constant warmth of its glow. The butterfly, despite its broken wing, even in the midst of dark chaos, shows us the power of survival, strengthened by its constant drive to thrive, and it’ll bring luck to everyone and everything it decides to land on.
This room, the sanctuary of mysteries and prophecies, breathes despair and hope, caught between the end and rebirth. Still waiting for the seeker of its truths.
The Last Days Have Long Passed
Garbage Kids & Gvantsa Jishkariani
NADA House, 6th edition
Nolan Park House 17, Governors Island
New York
03/09-27/10/2024
The collaborative exhibition brings together 17 art galleries and art spaces to present 21 artists in historic Nolan Park, with participants engaging the unique character of a 19th-century former military residence and exhibiting work in a diverse range of mediums.
Golden Hair Wing, 2024
Wing and hands - linden wood (the tree was cut in 2021 by Estonian arborists by the request of a local close to Viljandi, later air dried for 3 years).
The artwork is treated with double boiled linseed oil and iron oxide pigment. Hands are partially burned and treated with double boiled linseed oil.
Brass hangers (handmade from scrap found in Valga recycle center).
49 :17 :17 inches
Edition of 1/5
Garbage Kids, a collective of creatives at the intersection of art and design, produce stunning works characterized by ‘vernacular mix of playfulness and stubbornness’. The Wing shelf draws inspiration from the wooden carved altars found in Protestant and Lutheran churches across Northern Europe, including Estonia, with a particular nod to the works of the legendary carpenter, Christian Ackerman. The piece not only reflects the church and spirituality through a stylised interpretation of ‘Ackerman Angels’ but also plays with the unique scale and proportions of these altars. Additionally, the collective views this piece as a significant testament to their craftsmanship skills.
Hand and an Egg, 2024
Garbage Kids
Dark grey fabric - 100% woollen broadcloth (found on second hand market in Tbilisi, produced during the Soviet Union, originally such fabric was primarily used for making coats),
White and grey applique - hand felted Georgian sheep wool
59:51 inches
The designs created by Garbage Kids have increasingly incorporated the shape of the hand, either intentionally or subconsciously, as a dominant feature in both existing and upcoming projects. The elegant silhouette of the hand works effectively on both large and small scales, standing out against the dark contrasting backgrounds.
One notable piece, the hand and egg blanket, was completed in a 10-hour marathon session. This piece features felted fabric combining naturally dyed wool from Estonia and white wool from Georgia, set against a background of Soviet broadcloth, discovered serendipitously in a second-hand shop.
The practice of Garbage Kids can be described as an exploration of inherited meanings found in historic and prehistoric art, creating analogies and fictions that seek to distill complex ideas into succinct forms. While some of their objects are driven by conceptual themes or material inspiration, others are motivated by a desire to explore new creative directions.
Garbage Kids is a creative collective based in Tbilisi, Georgia. With a background in architecture, they are currently focusing on object-oriented creations. A lot of Garbage Kids thinking comes from frustration with the society that aims towards endless growth in conditions of limited resources. Systems that encourage overconsumption contribute to the temporary and one-off – garbage mounds are growing, inequality is increasing, species are disappearing, and a tedious global singularity is spreading in its place. Instead Garbage Kids learn from peasant wisdom, creating collectables, for which they mainly use scrap mate- rials - branches broken in a storm, stones from abandoned quarries, leftover timber from construction or demolitions, invasive species etc.
As a collective, they combine manual skills and knowledge from both Estonia and Georgia resulting in a vernacular mix of playfulness and stubbornness. Garbage kids practice can be described as attempting to transfer inherited meanings (forms, concepts and vision) prevalent in historic and prehistoric art, as a series of analogies and fictions, attempting to be succinct in form.
Garbage Kids are Nika Gabiskiria, Ulla Alla and Luka Abashidze
Gvantsa Jishkariani known for her work in various media, is especially recognised for her tapestry series, which holds a prominent place in her oeuvre. She repurposes Soviet factory-made tapestries, once widely popular across the Union and now found on flea markets. By reworking these tapestries, the artist taps into a larger conversation about mass consciousness and collective memory, particularly in post-Soviet contexts. She often works over them with a sense of urgency and aggression, physically altering the surface in ways that disrupt the original aesthetic. This process of "destroying to recreate" reflects her deeper engagement with the past and the desire to confront or revise it. Once the surface is reworked, she embroiders phrases—usually in English—directly onto the fabric. These phrases, while seemingly simple, carry profound weight. They are intentionally open-ended, allowing for multiple interpretations and resonating with her personal emotions, yet they often touch on themes that reflect broader societal or political issues.
The physicality of the artist’s process is also central to the meaning of the work. The time-consuming nature of embroidery, which she insists on doing herself, is an integral part of her artistic practice. This repetitive, meditative act of stitching becomes a personal ritual, helping her to process and release the emotional weight that the phrases represent. For her, the labour-intensive embroidery is not just a means to an end but a process of emotional release, a way to liberate herself from the memories and sentiments embedded in the work.
Last but not least, humour and an air of playfulness are always present in her art; as in the case of this particular tapestry, that she adorns with feathers and beads.