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.

Nikoloz (Koka) Ignatov (1937–2002) was the key figure in Georgian art and culture during the 1960s -1980s. His first well-known work was the 1965 production of the play ‘The Wisdom of Lies’ at the Rustaveli Theater, which was directed by Nana Khatiskatsi and Tengiz Maghalashvili and was based on the fables of Sulkhan Saba Orbeliani. With its vibrant colors and creative expressiveness, the artist's background panel for this performance, which depicted a fairy-tale metaphor of the Georgian terrain, prompted audience applause as soon as the curtain opened.

In the old Georgian language, Vani implies a residence, dwelling, or monastery. As a name signifying a location in Imereti, it first appeared in recorded data in the 1870s. This is how the "Vani Gospels" inscription, as well as the descriptions of the German traveler Guldenstedt, refer to the village, which is now known as "Upper Vani" and is famous for the Archangel Church erected during the 11th and 12th centuries. According to Vakhushti Bagrationi, an 18th-century Georgian historian and geographer, Vani was known as "Sachino."