A Journey Through Colors and Forms: Pasternak-Totibadze Exhibition at Tonka Gallery
The nomadic Tonka Gallery presents the Russian-Georgian artistic duo Pasternak-Totibadze in their first Parisian exhibition. Alexandra Pasternak, great-granddaughter of writer Boris Pasternak, and Anton Totibadze, descendant of renowned Georgian realist painters, bring a fresh perspective to contemporary art. Though academically trained, their creative drive is fueled by the pursuit of beauty and freedom rather than strict adherence to classical traditions or a singular artistic vision.
What unites these young artists is their shared approach—one that defies artistic hierarchies. Anton Totibadze’s still lifes are infused with subtle irony: a seagull and its food set against the sea, weightless oranges, or the quiet reflection of a glass of beer beside an empty plate. His meticulous style finds an echo in Alexandra Pasternak’s landscapes, painted from life. Her compositions, featuring vast mountain ranges, serene skies, and valleys punctuated by sparse, Cubist-like dwellings, evoke a sense of structured yet dreamlike nature—an ordered world that remains playful and removed from strict rationality.
For their Parisian debut, the duo presents impressions of Georgia, captured during their summer travels from the mountain ranges to the Black Sea coast and the sun-scorched vineyards of the country’s arid regions. The exhibition reveals Georgia’s landscapes in panoramic sequences—exalted, simple, yet strikingly precise in form and composition.
Living and working between Moscow and Tbilisi, Alexandra Pasternak and Anton Totibadze bring their artistic journey to Paris, offering visitors a chance to engage with them personally at the exhibition’s opening. Accompanying the showcase is a catalog, along with silver prints by Anton Totibadze—photographs taken on the roads of Georgia and manually developed in Paris specifically for this event.
The Pasternak-Totibadze exhibition at Tonka Gallery is not just an artistic statement but an invitation—an immersive journey through the landscapes of memory, imagination, and the boundless spirit of creation.
9.10.2021 — 21.10.2021
78 rue de Turenne, Paris
