Georgia

The Art of Seeing – States of Astronomy is a collaborative project presented by Georgian and French curators and artists. It showcases 65 Maximiliana or the Illegal Practice of Astronomy, a 1964 work by Georgian artist, poet and editor Ilia Zdanevich (1894–1975) and Max Ernst (1891–1976), along with its related archives. The art book is dedicated to Wilhelm Ernst Tempel (1821–1889), a German astronomer and lithographer, known for his unconventional, sensual approach to astronomy, who was overlooked by contemporaries due to his lack of academic training.
Curator Julia Marchand (France) and associate research curator David Koroshinadze (Georgia) have crafted an original concept for a living archive, to present the story of the art book, that brought the language of the cosmos to life. French artists Rodrigue De Ferluc and Juliette George have created unique furniture inspired by Iliazd’s typography in Maximiliana to establish a visual and spatial identity for the exhibition. Georgian artist Nika Koplatadze reinterprets Maximiliana through a contemporary art lens in a series of artist’s books informed by his readings of star maps and other cosmic matters. Additionally, Grigol Nodia’s video art, titled Lonely Planet, takes viewers on a meditative voyage in search of an innocent rhythm.