By David Zimmerman
In one of his political tracts Honoré de Balzac affirms “everything is form, and life itself is form.” It would be fair to say that the formal relationships within a work of art and among different works of art constitute an order for, and a metaphor of, the entire universe. Georgian artist Rusudan Petviashvili possesses a restless imagination that continuously explores the hidden threads connecting time, humanity, and the essence of existence.
What strikes me—beyond her stylistic assuredness and the embedded narratives that emerge from her imagery—is her profound engagement with fundamental ontological questions. Petviashvili aspires to lofty conceptual heights: her art delves into how we perceive coherence and ambiguity, probing the fine line between the shapes of people and objects and their energetic fields. Her visual language embraces the idea of permeable boundaries, emphasizing fluidity over containment. This interplay of porous forms and shifting limits becomes the dominant motif throughout her work.
Petviashvili’s lyrical figuration suggests a mythology of origins—one that celebrates not so much birth itself, but the ongoing process of becoming. As Walter Benjamin notes, “… [origin] emerges not out of stated facts but it touches, instead, upon their pre- and post-history.” In this spirit, her work presents figures that oscillate between the solid and the ephemeral, allowing the eye to penetrate through translucent spaces. Her approach evokes a distinctive aesthetic that channels both corporeal presence and ghostly intangibility. The result is an allegorical current that seeks to unearth the foundations of the medieval miniature while honoring feminine strength and vitality.
The qualities of permanence and energy that characterize Petviashvili’s imaginative world are as striking as her dedication to a realm teeming with ornamental flora and fauna—hybrid beings subject to mysterious laws of growth. In this lush symbolic terrain, where fantasy and reality converge, we encounter the enduring power of figurative form and the boundless potential of the imaginary.
Davis Zimmerman is an art writer living and working in Manhattan.
