The exhibition of the French artist, Matilda Murat was held in the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia on the 9th of April.
By Inga Kakulia
Wednesday, April 10
The exhibition of Matilda Murat was held in the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia on the 9th of April. The French artist has Georgian Roots but has spent a big part of her life in France. Matilda and her family are the descendants of the Dadiani-Murat family. In 1868, Salome Dadiani, the sister of the Last Prince of Megrelia, Niko Dadiani married Prince Achille Murat of a brother of Joachim, 4th Prince Murat and grandson of Marshal Joachim Murat) Salome Dadiani was a grandmother of Matilda’s father, Alain Murat.
Matilda Murat moved back to Georgia in 1996. Her parents currently live in Zugdidi, Samegrelo.
Matilda has loved art since the very childhood and carried the passion into her adult life as well. The exhibition was a mix of papier-mache art and statues made out of wires. According to Matilda, she loves repurposing different objects that no longer have a purpose and breathing a new life into them. She sometimes uses plastic bottles as well as cardboard for her statues.
The sculptures vary from different interpretations of female bodies using papier-mache to various animals as well as portraits and silhouettes using the wire. Matilda’s art is vibrantly colorful. In one of her sculptures, she uses cardboard to furniture-type stance for the actual papier-mache which is a very common practice in France according to Matilda. She has brought the art and knowledge acquired in France to Georgians. She teaches art history as well as an art of papier-mache. Matilda Murat gives private lessons in papier-mache to kids and adult alike.
Her father, Alain Murat has been a great supporter of Matilda’s art and helped with the arrangement of the exhibition, since Matilda is now expecting her fifth child. The exhibition was accompanied by the live Georgian music performed on a piano.
