Cityscapes, urban fragments explored in Tbilisi display of Nestan Abdushelishvili, Vajiko Chachkhiani

Works exploring cityscapes and fragments of urban life will welcome visitors to Tbilisi's 4710 gallery starting this Sunday, with artists Nestan Abdushelishvili and Vajiko Chachkhiani featured by the venue.

Bringing together Chachkhiani's use of "urban objects and materials" to draw implied parallels on the theme of contemporary society, and Abdushelishvili's closeups of urban locations from the first-person perspective, the exhibition looks at repeating stories and locations that remain standing in-between them, a preview from organisers said.

Their summary explains the show through the selection of its title - In the Shoeshop Near the Bakery - picked from the single Cordoba by Brian Eno & John Cale - about a meeting spot of two individuals, with references to the people removed.

Although there is no mentioning or depiction of the humans in the works presented, each of them apart and the wholeness they create carry a hint of their existence

- Organisers' preview

Reflecting the approach, the selection of the works for the show also contrasts the manmade urban surroundings with a "lack of presence of its inhabitants", resulting in a narrative of reminiscence or anticipation of events in the spaces.

The feeling that something has happened or is about to happen follows the viewers through the exposition

- Organisers' preview

In the photographs contributed to the display by Abdushelishvili, fragments of urban sights are scattered throughout the gallery space to mirror the perception of the locations they show from the eyes of a bypasser. They present the look of an emptied city as a film set following the shooting, presenting the city as a "silent reminder" of its existence, and a sense of solitude within its spaces.

Chachkhiani has featured in displays at including WAITING — Between Power and Possibility at Hamburger Kunsthalle in 2017, while he also created the installation representing Georgia at Venice Art Biennial the same year. He was also shortlisted for the Future Generation Art Prize in Kyiv that year.

Abdushelishvili was most recently involved in Element-Forgotten Feelings, a display with Nanuka Zaalishvili at Tbilisi's Gallery Nectar in 2020. The show was a look at the subject of architectural contributions to transformation and reconstruction, with the former creative contributing through Archive of Forgotten Feelings - her project centred around the theme of "formation of contemporary history" through architecture.

In the Shoeshop Near the Bakery will be on display at gallery 4710, located at 19 Amagleba Street in Tbilisi, through May 14.