The Love Story Behind Batumi's Moving Sculptures
"Ali and Nino" is a sculpture in the city of Batumi (Georgia), located on the shore of Batumi Bay. The creator is Georgian sculptor Tamara Kvesitadze. Every evening from 19:00, the eight-meter figures slowly move in a circle, sometimes approaching and merging into a single whole, then moving away from each other again. The full cycle lasts 10 minutes. The monument and its surroundings have expressive neon lighting. After the installation of the sculpture, the original name "Man and Woman" was replaced by "Ali and Nino".
Tamara Kvesitadze received inspiration after reading the novel "Ali and Nino" (1937) by Kurban Said. It tells the story of love between a Georgian Christian Nino and an Azerbaijani Muslim Ali, whose union was not approved by their families due to their belonging to different nationalities and religions.
Throughout their lives, the heroes, merging into a single whole, try to overcome obstacles to be together. Having managed to cope with various difficulties, the lovers get married. But in the end, Ali dies, leaving Nino with a little daughter in her arms. Life's tragedy is conveyed in their iron images in just 10 minutes, which at night looks like a dance of love. Therefore, the sculpture is often called the statue of Love.
Kvesitadze worked on this piece for about two years, and in 2007 the sculpture was completely finished and presented to the public at the Venice Biennale (Italy). Then the statue was shown in London, and in 2011 it ended up on the Batumi embankment. The sculptural work was highly appreciated by the public, who saw it in motion: at first, you can see the meeting of the lovers, then - the attraction to each other, sensual embraces, and in the end - their inevitable separation.
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