Vajiko Chachkhiani (*1985) presents a recreation of the monumental installation he originally produced in 2017 for the Georgian pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale. Living Dog Among Dead Lions – Agape comprises a bucolic Georgian pavilion, the likes of which can still be found in the countryside of Georgia, a country situated on the border between Europe and Asia. The structure was acquired and dismantled by the artist on its original site and then rebuilt at the Konschthal Esch. Yet beyond the object’s displacement, a new reality also now imposes itself on the visitor: with its faded wooden partitions and large lattice windows, the pavilion’s interior is subjected to endless rain. The objects and furniture are constantly drenched, and this architecture offers a surprising vision of what was once a home protected from the elements.
Marked by the lack of any human presence, this work of architecture is also a metaphor for one or several existences. Individual and collective biographical ideas come together here like lost echoes that resonate in an atmosphere that also evokes ideas of loss, which is associated with a sense of nostalgia.
The title, Living Dog Among Dead Lions – Agape, alludes to a tragic event. In 2015, a flash flood inundated parts of Tbilisi, including the city zoo. Nineteen people died and hundreds of animals drowned. One of the animals that perished was a white lion named Shumba. Abandoned by its mother, zoo employees had raised it in the company of a dog. Visitors were often able to see the two animals together. Of this unlikely friendship, only the dog survived.
The title also has a second reference, a biblical quotation: “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). The passage could be paraphrased as follows: “Where there is life, there is hope.”
Vajiko Chachkhiani lives and works in Berlin and Tbilisi. In addition to his sculptural work and installations, he also makes films.
As part of the Biennale 2024 - Architectures, by Esch Capitale Culturelle.
Video: SKIN