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Contemporary Art Archive - Tbilisi

Archive of Academic Writings

2021 Edition of the Project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia

Curios (საოცრებათა ოთახი)

2017

"Curios" is a site-specific exhibition of dimensional installations and interventions by the Israeli born Brooklyn based artist Etty Yaniv at the Tbilisi State Silk Museum library. During her art residency at the museum Yaniv has utilized found museum cases to create assemblages made of materials such as assorted fabrics, objects she found on site, as well as photos and paintings she has created during her stay. Altogether the cases coalesce throughout the gallery space into objects which can read as dioramas, cabinet of curiosities, scrolls, or landscapes of sorts, each presents a different narrative that represents the artist’s journey through Georgian landscapes, and her reflections on textures, architecture, and history. The visitor is invited to navigate from one case to the other, and discover clues up-close. Yaniv is mostly struck by the sense of transition in Georgia, a new state with ancient culture and tradition---how contemporary life tie to these rich layers of history. Visually she is particularly drawn to architectural layers, textures, patterns, and colors throughout Tbilisi and the museum specifically. While working at the Silk Museum, her thorough explorations of the silk production history and process influenced her work by incorporating silk and fabric dies into her detailed assemblage practice.

Etty Yaniv holds BA in Psychology and English Literature from Tel Aviv University, BFA from Parsons School of Design, and MFA degree from SUNY Purchase. She is integrating mediums such as drawing, photography and painting to form immersive environments. Her illustration work has been published in The New York Times, Village Voice, Newsday Magazine and The Nation. She exhibited in solo and group shows at galleries and museums nationally and internationally, including The Haifa Museum of Art, Israel; Newark Museum of Art, NJ; Monmouth Museum of Art, NJ; Torrance Art Museum, CA; Art Gallery of St. Albert, Alberta, Canada; Zero1 Biennial in San Francisco; University of Western Illinois; Leipziger Baumwollspinnerie, Halle 14, Leipzig Germany; Jersey City University, NJ; Stockton University, NJ; Montserrat College of Art, Ma; Purdue University, IN; Garrison Art Center, NY; Millersville University, PA; UCONN University, Stamford, CT; Helen Day, VT; Sheen Cultural Center, NYC; Storefront Ten Eyck, Brooklyn.