The exhibition project Middle Gate II – The Story of Dymphna is a collaboration between M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp) and the cultural centre de Werft in Geel. Middle Gate II is the follow up to the exhibition Middle Gate, curated by Jan Hoet in Geel in 2013. The exhibition concept is closely tied to the legend of the holy Dymphna, saint of the possessed, the mentally ill and patroness against epilepsy and insanity. The legend of Dymphna shares a strong connection to the identity of Geel, "the charitable city".

Koka Ramishvili

°1956
Born in Tbilisi, GE
Lives in Geneva, CH

Koka (Akaki) Ramishvili (°1956) lives and works in Geneva. He is one of the many Georgian artists whose work has been strongly influenced by post-Soviet topics. His art has a political dimension, but it reflects on politics, rather than take a stance. Ramishvili uses various topics and media to react to the changes in values ​​he observes.

In the seventies, Ramishvili studies painting, but finds that he could no longer create ‘traditional’ artistic images in the long ‘transition period’ following the renewed independence of Georgia in 1991. Instead, he starts a continuous visual analysis of the new reality. For this reason he starts to make ‘documentary’ images (photos and videos) and sometimes appropriates images of other authors, which he places in new contexts. Another recurring theme in his work is the overlap of private and public space, and the influence of moments of general crisis.

In Ramishvili's work there is a continuous interaction between the various media he uses. The complexity of his work stems from an awareness of the specificity of each medium and the relationship with other forms of expressions. This awareness also leads him to greater accuracy in the different themes he intertwines.