Garbage Kids has created a forgotten magic chamber where the imagination can build new realities. “Shadow Objects” brings together eight handcrafted objects created by the Estonian-Georgian collective Garbage Kids – Luka Abashidze, Ulla Alla and Nika Gabiskiria. 

Garbage Kids create each piece like a fable. Their objects are meant to be experiences rather than furniture admired for their aesthetic perfectionism. In their work, they look for the ungraspable nature of myths. In this exhibition, shadows are a medium they decided to play with, twisting predictable paths and nature and giving the objects an extra dimension and character. 

The driving force behind the work of Garbage Kids is their frustration with a society that prioritises growth over sustainability and encourages overconsumption in a world with limited resources. As a response, they use traditional craftsmanship and folk wisdom to create objects from found materials, such as broken branches, scrap metal and stones from abandoned quarries. The materials for “Shadow Objects” have been sourced and hand-picked during walks in Georgia and Estonia, utilising walnut, oak offcuts from a winery, linden wood, and more. 

Garbage Kids’ practice is intuitive, explorative, and strives for freedom. Depending on the piece, they will start from a fantasy or the material itself. Their design works in connection with the vernacular, as they base their designs on local traditions, intuition, materials and ecological knowledge. 

Objects and exhibition designer: Garbage Kids
Graphic designer: Rita Davis
Curator: Sandra Nuut
Exhibition team: Katharina Kala, Kristi Paap, Toomas Übner
Language editor (Estonian): Hille Saluäär
Language editor (English): Michael Haagensen

Garbage Kids is an Estonian-Georgian collective consisting of Luka Abashidze (1993), Ulla Alla (1994) and Nika Gabiskiria (1992). Their background is architecture. Ulla Alla graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts, and Luka Abashidze and Nika Gabiskiria from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. Garbage Kids was formed in 2020 alongside their work in architecture when they sought an alternative that was independent of others and a practice that allowed a free creative process. Before Garbage Kids was formed, they first worked together on “Kibe-Projekt”, which involved restoring the 19th-century wooden spiral staircase in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2022. 

Garbage Kids design and create unique or limited-edition collectable furniture pieces and objects. They have previously presented their work at the Obscura platform in Tbilisi (2022) and the Why Not Gallery (2024), Milan Design Week (2023, 2024), the Roma Diffusa festival (2023), and the NADA House exhibition in New York (2024). They also designed the exhibition space and furniture for an exhibition called “Dear Friend” at EKA Gallery (2022).

Video

Publication

Booklet “Garbage Kids. Garbage Kids” (PDF)

Public Programme

26.–27.07 Pirate Workshop by Garbage Kids (registration is open now)

Gallery

Photos: Karel Koplimets