"Owl Man" (The Idea of a Perfect Man)

Bronze Sculpture
Mounted on a white marble stone

122.5 x 93.5 cm.  (48.2 x 36.8 Inch)

NOTE:
The Owl Man of Japaridze is one of the masterpieces of his bronze sculpture works. This is the conceptualization of the “Idea of a Perfect Man” and the symbolism of Owl as the Nature’s representation of inner wisdom, change, transformation, intuitive development, good luck, and self-actualization. It is made with great details and fine craftsmanship in such a way that one can almost feel that the artist had given part of his soul into this eternal artwork. Japaridze's sculptures feature motifs of ancient mythology and Georgian folklore. Most often subjects of his works are humans, mythological creatures, and animals, especially horses. In his sculptural work stone, wood, enamel, copper, ceramic, and most often bronze are the materials used. His bronzes are bronze not only in material, but there is also often something Bronze Age about them too.

BIOGRAPHY:
Gia Japaridze is a renowned Georgian sculptor and graphic artist. He was born on May 5, 1945. He graduated from Tbilisi Art Academy in 1968, where he also taught from 1990 to 1991. In 2015 he became an Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi and Mtskheta, twice the Cavalier of the Order of Honor, and a winner of the prize for The Best Work of the Year. From 1970 he participated in exhibitions in Basel, Switzerland (exhibition ‘45’), where he once stayed for six months, which he describes as the most productive period of his life. He has also exhibited in Germany (Leverkusen, in 1994), in Georgia, and his works have been exhibited in Doha in the Expressing Space Exhibition in 2017.

Gia Japaridze’s sculptures can be seen almost everywhere in Tbilisi: on Nikoloz Baratashvili Bridge, named ’Youth, Date and A Girl with Flowers’, on Galaktion Tabidze Bridge, named ‘Four Lions’, in front of the 55th school, named Motherhood (in 2003), a sculpture of Mikheil Tumanishvili (founder of 1978 Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre in Tbilisi), sculpture of ‘The Spring’ in Tbilisi (in 1995), ‘The Harlequin’ sculpture of Mziuri Park (popularly considered to be the tragicomic guard of this park), ‘Nincho’ and other sculptures situated in Sighnaghi (Eastern Georgia’s “City of Love”), and more. Gia Japaridze also creates icons for churches. He made almost all the icons for the church on Makhata Mountain and there was even a church of Saint George built in Tsitsamuri at his initiative.

His monumental sculptures are also installed all over the world: Georgia, USA, Russia, Western Europe and Azerbaijan. Other works of this artist are in prestigious private and public collections. Collectors of his work include such notables as President Jimmy Carter, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, and Pope John Paul II.