Elene Melikidze
If a miracle of peace were to happen overnight, it would not manifest as celebration or the disappearance of suffering. It would reveal itself quietly, through a change in how power exists in the world. In this artwork, peace becomes visible as endurance rather than triumph. The central figure is not a portrait but a symbol of victory over the many forms of suffering present in today’s world. It stands firmly on the ground, not advancing and not retreating. The red body carries the memory of violence, loss, and struggle, yet it remains standing. Here, red signifies not only blood or conflict, but survival and persistence.
The flag does not announce conquest. It marks presence and responsibility—peace as something that must be carried, not declared complete. Behind the figure, the horse lowers its head. Once associated with movement, force, and domination, it now rests. Strength is still present, but it no longer acts. Peace, in this image, is recognized when power chooses restraint.
The red spheres scattered across the green land are traces of what has been endured—burden, memory, trauma. They remain visible, but inactive. The miracle of peace does not erase the past; it allows these remnants to exist without continuing destruction. Peace here is not idealized. It stands quietly in the aftermath, grounded, human, and unresolved. Others might recognize this peace in the stillness of the scene, in the absence of threat, in the way life continues without force. This image invites reflection rather than certainty, suggesting peace not as an end, but as a conscious and fragile condition that must be held.
Elene Melikidze is a visual artist from Georgia whose work explores themes of power, vulnerability, endurance, and transformation. Through symbolic figurative imagery and a tactile, painterly language, she reflects on human and collective experiences shaped by conflict, memory, and survival. Her practice often balances tension and stillness, addressing social and existential questions without relying on fixed narratives or conventional symbols.
Untitled, oil on canvas (72x87cm)