Koka Ramishvili is one of many Georgian artists who left their country several times after 1990 and spent certain phases of life abroad. Yet his works are profoundly influenced by post-Soviet issues and by Georgia’s problems today – political changes, questions about identity, new geographical boundaries and cataclysmic domestic developments. Most of these events have played out before the author’s eyes, as is evidenced by his 1991–1992 photo series, “War from My Window”; his 1998 video, “Pronostic Eventuel”; and other works.
Koka Ramishvili’s video, Change (2005) – about the “turbulent world” of recent times – is undoubtedly one of his most important and most interesting works. Particularly noteworthy is its structure – a “three-part drama”. The first two parts include documentary TV footage of the events of 23 November 2003 in Georgia, particularly the final moments of the “Rose Revolution”: the shift of power from Eduard Shevardnadze to Mikheil Saakashvili.
These documentary sequences borrowed from television coverage are deliberately shown in slow motion as if on an editing table. This “decompression” of documentary images, which allows close examination of each episode and practically permits us to inspect every detail; the extreme close-ups and concurrent blurrings; the accompanying monotone sound and obscure drawn-out noises, create an eloquently vivid image of struggle between a large group of men in a room in a single space, emanating energy, emotion, chaos, tension, clashes and controversy.
The second part has a similar character, but here the fighting posture and aggression ebb into a temporary equilibrium. The artist conveys an atmosphere of anxious expectation. No one knows what will happen next.
Suddenly the plot takes an unexpected turn. The third section carries us to an entirely different time. To the sounds of an actress’ melancholy singing, the scene blends smoothly into shots from Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film “Veronika Voss”, set in post-World War II Germany.
A true historical event; documentary television images blending unexpectedly into snatches of a feature film; the clash of political opponents stands in contrast to the tragic heroine, the former Fassbinder film icon.
Koka Ramishvili’s Change, is not simply the story of one specific historical event. The artist raises a host of questions that remain unresolved and viewers can build their own chain of associations to find their own answers to them.
Koka Ramishvili’s video, Change (2005) – about the “turbulent world” of recent times – is undoubtedly one of his most important and most interesting works. Particularly noteworthy is its structure – a “three-part drama”. The first two parts include documentary TV footage of the events of 23 November 2003 in Georgia, particularly the final moments of the “Rose Revolution”: the shift of power from Eduard Shevardnadze to Mikheil Saakashvili.
These documentary sequences borrowed from television coverage are deliberately shown in slow motion as if on an editing table. This “decompression” of documentary images, which allows close examination of each episode and practically permits us to inspect every detail; the extreme close-ups and concurrent blurrings; the accompanying monotone sound and obscure drawn-out noises, create an eloquently vivid image of struggle between a large group of men in a room in a single space, emanating energy, emotion, chaos, tension, clashes and controversy.
The second part has a similar character, but here the fighting posture and aggression ebb into a temporary equilibrium. The artist conveys an atmosphere of anxious expectation. No one knows what will happen next.
Suddenly the plot takes an unexpected turn. The third section carries us to an entirely different time. To the sounds of an actress’ melancholy singing, the scene blends smoothly into shots from Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film “Veronika Voss”, set in post-World War II Germany.
A true historical event; documentary television images blending unexpectedly into snatches of a feature film; the clash of political opponents stands in contrast to the tragic heroine, the former Fassbinder film icon.
Koka Ramishvili’s Change, is not simply the story of one specific historical event. The artist raises a host of questions that remain unresolved and viewers can build their own chain of associations to find their own answers to them.
Nino Chogoshvili
