First Days

First Days Tornike Bendeliani 26.07. - 10.09.2024 “First Days,” Tornike Bendeliani’s second solo show at the Why Not Gallery, explores the universal expe- rience of beginnings, capturing both creation and destruction through evocative watercolours. The viewer encounters contrasting narratives of new life, where elements of history and the illogical whims of the artist’s mind combine. Some paintings evoke interiors of Middle Eastern homes, reminiscent of cinemat- ic settings; others portray faces obscured and fading, flowers captured in multiple attempts to stave off extinction, existing as mere imprints in a space where time flows and memories dissolve. Is this a recon- struction of the past or a fantastical vision of the future? One piece depicts a hand wielding a tool, echoing the historical monument of Svetitskhoveli, suggesting the “first day” might be a new chapter built on past foundations, a nonsensical reimagining of history, or a surreal endeavour to grasp fleeting memories. The artist’s handmade cement frames, juxtaposed against the watercolours’ impermanence, symbolise our efforts to solidify these ephemeral experiences. Bend- eliani’s work compels us to question how we piece together fragments of time and anchor these fleeting images in a permanent reality.