Some artists live lives so entwined with their work that the two become inseparable. Gayane Khachaturian is one such artist—a woman who, from the moment she emerged on the artistic stage, captivated attention. Her paintings invite viewers into a phantasmagoric realm, breaking free from the constraints of everyday reality and guiding them on an endless, dreamlike journey.

Batumi, Georgia’s maritime gateway, boasts a long and rich history. In the Late Middle Ages, the city fell under Turkish control, and became part of the Ottoman Empire, a status it retained until 1878, when it was taken over by the Russian Empire. During the final years of Ottoman rule, Batumi was home to a diverse, multiethnic population, including a sizeable Orthodox Christian community that was primarily made up of Greeks. Between 1865 and 1871, this community built a church in their neighbourhood that was dedicated to St Nicholas, located at the present-day intersection of King Parnavaz and Zviad Gamsakhurdia streets.

He stood in front of the abyss, having been rescued from it through his unshakeable belief that “it is impossible for the beautiful essence of a human being to be lost,” but this beautiful essence is always in peril, always in need of being rescued from the abyss of evil and futility.