Installation "Waiting Room" of Tina Gobejishvili and Alisa Matei at the Lviv Quadriennael of Scenography 2025

At the Lviv Quadriennale of Scenography 2025, in the space of the exhibition at the Main Post Office Building, Tina and Alisa presented a joint installation "Waiting Room". We tell you about the artists and their work.

🔹 Tina Gobejishvili

       Sakartvelo / Romania

A graduate of the National University of Theatre and Film Arts named after I. L. Karadzale in Bucharest, where she specialised in scenography. She also studied theatre history at Tbilisi State University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in scenography at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts.

Tina collaborates with theatres in Georgia and Romania, including the Rustavi Theatre and the Iliouni Theatre in Tbilisi, as well as the Stela Popescu Theatre in Bucharest and the National Theatre of Oradea. She is currently also working with the Poti Theatre and the Liberty Theatre in Georgia.

The latest premiere is August Strindberg's play Miss Julie, directed by Eva Gvritishvili, presented at the Iliouni Theatre in 2025.

Some of Tina's work can be viewed on Behance:👉 behance.net/tikogobejis1

The installation was inspired by the play "The Man Outside" by Wolfgang Borchert. Director — Alex Ianash, set design — Tina Gobezishvili. The play, staged at the National University of Theatre and Film "Ion L. Caragiale" in Bucharest, was Tina's graduation project.

"The play tells the story of a German soldier who returns from Siberia after the war and experiences an existential crisis and despair bordering on suicide. Expressionistic and surrealistic, this story blurs the line between reality and dream. Among its characters is the River, a maternal presence symbolising the Danube — a place where many soldiers deliberately ended their lives in waters saturated with petrol. The scenography is built around this image: the stage resembles a dry riverbed saturated with oil, against the backdrop of the characters' extravagant costumes. This contrast demonstrates how people continue to dress up, celebrate and live as if nothing has changed — even while standing on the ruins of an apocalyptic world. When we arrived in Ukraine, we felt more deeply how much this play resonates with contemporary reality. We witnessed extraordinary courage: despite the constant threat, people continue to live with dignity. At night, when the sirens sounded, no one panicked — everyone just went on with their lives. This quiet resilience, this refusal to give up normality, was a manifestation of strength that deeply moved us. One moment in particular influenced the essence of the installation. At nine o'clock in the morning, a waitress in a café put off serving coffee until the end of the daily minute of silence for the fallen heroes. When the clock struck nine, everyone went out into the street — and it froze. Workers, passers-by, cars, buses — everything stopped. Complete silence reigned, broken only by the sound of the clock, before life moved forward again. This profound ritual of remembrance became a key element of the installation's concept. This experience gave rise to the name — "Waiting Room". The installation represents a space filled with a black, immaterial substance — heavy, suffocating, but elusive. In the centre is a mirror that forces the viewer to encounter their own reflection. The chairs are arranged as if for waiting, and the steady ticking of the clock reminds us of that moment of silence we experienced in Ukraine — a moment when it seemed that time itself had stopped. However, there is a large open window in the room, flooded with light — a reminder that even in darkness there is hope, and time brings the promise of healing. — Tina Gobejishvili

🔹Alisa Matei

      Romania

Alisa graduated from the National University of Theatre and Film "I. L. Caragiale" in Bucharest with a degree in scenography, where she is currently pursuing a master's degree in the same field. Her choice of scenography is no coincidence — it is a field where creativity is combined with technical precision, and each project becomes an opportunity to create new and complex visual worlds.

For the artist, practical work is of fundamental importance:

"I believe that real learning happens through direct experience — experimenting, trying things out, and adapting to the challenges of each production. That is why I strive to explore as many areas of this field as possible — whether it be theatre, cinema, live performances, advertising, interior design, 3D rendering or lighting design — because each of them opens up new perspectives and contributes to my professional growth. I see these "deviations" not as detours, but as necessary accumulations. Each experience brings new knowledge, and together they form a richer visual vocabulary. This versatility allows me to approach any project with a broader perspective and find innovative solutions that combine both artistic vision and technical expertise. For me, scenography is more than a profession. It is a constant practice of exploration, where every collaboration and every context becomes an opportunity to learn, grow, and create coherent, expressive visual universes. — Alisa Matei

📸Photographs by Khristina Korol.

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The project is implemented with the support of the Lviv City Council and the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.