Road of Kakheti (part of Tapestry in six paintings) 

Editor: This is "Road of Kakheti," part of a series of six paintings, by Niko Pirosmani. It seems to be painted with oil paint, capturing a festive outdoor feast. It gives a feeling of rural Georgian life, and I'm curious, how do you interpret this work in the context of Georgian culture and society at the time? Curator: Pirosmani gives us more than a mere depiction of a feast. Think about what isn’t overtly stated. This scene, vibrant and full of life, needs to be understood within a specific social hierarchy. Notice the feast and the surrounding landscape, pointing to the deep connection between the Georgian identity, agriculture and the performative expression of culture through music, celebration, food production, consumption, and display. Editor: It’s interesting that you focus on social dynamics rather than just the aesthetic enjoyment of the scene. What specifically leads you to interpret it that way? Curator: Well, let's consider the power dynamics at play. Who are the people feasting, and who is serving? Consider the gaze, what are the land rights? Also what does this tableau mean in light of subsequent modernization and soviet occupation of Georgia? How might such idyllic scenes reflect or react to such traumatic upheavals? Editor: That shifts my perspective entirely. It’s easy to look at the bright colours and lively scene and miss the undercurrents of power and inequality. The setting of this rural setting now gains more depth. Curator: Exactly. And considering the broader narrative, Pirosmani gives a voice to Georgian heritage while simultaneously asking viewers to consider who that heritage truly serves and what value it ultimately serves to perpetuate, be that equality or systematic disenfranchisement. Editor: Thank you for this. It pushes me to think more critically about the story behind the image. Curator: My pleasure. I leave thinking with a sense that one must ask "who are we within these depictions?".