'Moment In and Out of Time'

SCAI THE BATHHOUSE

Vajiko Chachkhiani's "Moment In and Out of Time" (2014)

Vajiko Chachkhiani is a Georgian artist acclaimed for his exploration of the human psyche through sculpture and installation. His work pays tribute to the spirit of the arte povera (“poor art”) movement that, during the 1960s and ’70s in Italy, made political stances against establishment using unconventional artistic mediums.

Chachkhiani’s use of everyday materials in unusual compositions evoke or symbolize human psychological states, such as trauma, loneliness and anger.

“Moment In and Out of Time” (2014), for example, is a heavy metal door taken from a solitary confinement chamber. Though the door’s hatch is open, the peephole is sealed with wax from a candle, emphasizing isolation, violence and anger.

This is Chachkhiani’s first exhibition in Japan and it focuses on the pyschological trauma of historical events.

SCAI the Bathhouse; Kashiwayu-Ato, 6-1-23 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo. Nippori Stn. 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Free. Closed Sun., Mon., holidays. 03-3821-1144; www.scaithebathhouse.com/en