Sculpture of Ali and Nino

In the "Park of Wonders" on the very shore of the Black Sea, there is one of the most fascinating and romantic sights of the city - the dynamic sculpture "Ali and Nino". This is not just a statue, but a whole performance, embodied in metal by the Georgian sculptor and architect Tamara Kvesitadze. The installation was presented to the world in 2007 at the Venice Biennale, and in Batumi it was installed in 2010-2011.

Two eight-metre figures of a man and a woman, Ali and Nino, are made of steel plates with gaps, which gives them airiness and translucency. Every evening, at exactly 7:00 pm, the figures come to life: they begin to slowly move towards each other in a circle. Gradually approaching each other, they pass through each other, merging for a moment into a single whole, and then just as slowly separate, continuing their journey alone. This mesmerising ten-minute cycle is repeated over and over again, symbolising the eternal cycle of relationships: the desire for each other, a brief moment of meeting and the inevitability of separation.

Tamara Kvesitadze was inspired by the novel of the same name by Kurban Said, published in 1937. The book tells the tragic love story of an Azerbaijani Muslim, Ali Shirvanshir, and a Georgian Christian, Nino Kipiani, against the backdrop of the turbulent events of World War I in the Caucasus. The sculpture became the embodiment of their feelings, their ability to love despite differences in faith, nationality and social pressure.