OFLUXO

This temple, an amalgam of fur, wood, and rope, which stands taller than most people, has become a makeshift lighthouse. Instead of warning of shallow waters or jagged treachery, this stilted box beckons the lost, the adventurous, or those who just need some time to figure out what comes next. Adorned with stained glass and soft sculptures of psychedelic fish, the Temple of Stray Cats is frozen in a moment, where its furry, porcelain and clay inhabitants can exist for the remainder of their lifetimes.

The top gallery projects its strong light against the heroic stained glass of Jishkariani. The adjacent panes of glass are assembled masterfully into the visage of a cat, presented more as a demigod warrior than cuddly pet. The cat rears up on its hind legs with sword raised over head, revealing a bat’s wing and a slithering snake-like arm. Its stature is as much a warning to trespassers as it is a symbol of protection to those stray cats who would call this place home.

Gurashvili has provided a feast for the group of palm-sized cats who populate the beige tiers of this temple. A fish, ten times the size of the tower’s occupants, hangs playfully down from the tallest platform. Where this rainbow painted fish’s scales should be, Gurashvili has depicted a slew of conjoining mice. The detailed patterning of their fur mirrors the soft currents of a stream. Whether it’s interpretated as a defensive shoal or lavish display of cat opulence is left open-ended, as the fish slowly sways in the ambience of this stoic tower.