The influence of animated films and comic books remains pronounced throughout Salome Jokhadze's works. Akin to the characters of these films and books, Salome creates characters who travel through story to story and appear in various different parts of her works, often unexpectedly. The use of text is also an integral part of her approach - short, narrative sentences and statements sometimes appear in the artworks themselves. Often times, these short texts offer to act as a bird's eye view into her personal and more emotive entries. Other times, they hint to an existence of a lucid story beneath the words.
The subject of the exhibition being the vague threshold between adolescence and adulthood, the artist tells us of all the uncertainty, confusion and perpetual self-doubt that is so intrinsic to this transitional phase. This state of transience sheds a different light on both past and the future, and the urgency of decision arises.
The most recent works of Salome feature a new unfamiliar creature, whose scaly, snake-like skin is a result of a long-winded, tedious and almost mantric work process. This tedious, perseverant approach to work is also present in the dollhouse, titled "Leaving Home" - a house that is, for the most part, covered with clay thorns. Although the coating of characters and spaces with such a thick material may very well be interpreted as an attempt of emotional defense, the "safe" interior of the house is no exception to the thorn coating. A simultaneous feeling of security and discomfort is one that serves as a metaphor for the state that forces us outside our comfort zone.
A repetition of certain images (horses, riders, swords...) can be noticed by the viewer, which serve as symbolic icons for the artist. I.e., wisdom teeth made of clay, which are present in a number of works, act as both proof and a reminder of everything the artist uses to dismiss self-doubting fears. A similar attitude is felt in the title of the exhibition - "I Hope I'm Breathing Right". An exhibition that brings to light the ambiguous state of the young artist and her fears regarding the haziness of lines between adolescence and adulthood.
Anna Jibladze