A huge sculpture of a Mother of Georgia, placed on a hill, is overlooking Tbilisi, the capital. With her right hand Mother of Georgia is holding a sword, in her left hand she holds a cup with wine. She symbolizes the Georgian soul and carries the message: Enemies are met with a sword and Guests welcome with wine.
August 10, 2008, during the 5 days war between Georgia and Russia, (at the time I was living in Kingston, Jamaica).
Text messages between my friend and me :
Sent by me: "They will bomb the whole country, Georgia will turn into a battlefield....Retreat, surrender, do not fight...β
Received: "Independence comes from the barrel of a gun"...
The painting is dedicated to the memory of soldiers, who died defending their ancestral homeland against the Russian invasion.
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Eteri Chkadua was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Currently she lives in Brooklyn, NY. After completing her studies at the Academy of Arts in Tbilisi in 1988, she moved to Chicago, US.
www.eterichkadua.com
