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28/03/2023
Artist in focus • Rusudan Gachechiladze (1936) is modernist sculptor and reformer of Georgian portrait sculpture. She is a member of the 1960s generation of artists. Rusudan Gachechiladze belongs to a small group of sculptors who chose an unbiased artistic path in both the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. Sculptor can present a portrait in a manner, regardless of the fact that he/she is a famous writer or a poet, that a viewer is caught by a desire to explore more about a model, to get better acquainted with a model’s personal adventure, in short, to communicate with the character. The series of gypsum portraits vividly show the influences of important moments in the history of fine art, be it portraits of the Middle Egyptian period with inlaid eyes, realistic busts of the Roman period of the Republic, or expressive Fayium iconography.
25/03/2023
22/03/2023
Artist in focus • Irakli Gamrekeli (1894 - 1943) was a Georgian theater and film painter, a futurist and constructivist artist, also one of the founders of Georgian stage design. Irakli Gamrekeli’s turning point occurred during one such exhibition, when Kote Marjanishvili noticed his illustrations of Oscar Wilde’s “Salome”, and invited the artist to the Rustaveli Theater. He also worked in film production, as well as the creation of decorations for the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater. Irakli Gamrekeli formed an innovative tandem with reformist director Sandro Akhmeteli at the Rustaveli Theatre. Irakli Gamrekeli illustrated the only published edition of the Futurist magazine H2S04. Works are protected in Rustaveli Theatre, Kote Marjanishvili Theatre, Art Palace museum, Gamrekeli Gallery
14/03/2023
Tbilisi’s Muslim population appeared after the conquest of the city by Arabs in the early VII century. Several mosques were erected in Tbilisi during the Middle Ages. The largest among them was the Shi’a mosque that stood on the right bank of the Mtkvari, close to the river. According to oral tradition, it was built by Shah Ismail I of Iran, who invaded Georgia and occupied Tbilisi from 1522 to 1524.
14/03/2023
#GlimpseinGallery - MOTUS. This exhibition brings together the works of three artists: Levan Kharanauli, Zeinab Barnovi, and Theo Moukhigouli. The showcased artworks, as is expressed in the event’s title (Latin: "MOTUS" meaning moving or moved), are independently linked to the notion of movement, through which the transformation of space-time relations, humankind, and the object itself becomes possible. Theo Mouxigouli’s series of mixed media objects "A Heart for Every Fate", conveys various visual forms from the artist's memory through dynamism, rhythmicity, comprehensive construction of the compositions, and the expressive movements embodied in the objects. The series of self-portraits by artist Levan Kharanauli consists of three works, in which the impact of events on an individual's life path can clearly be read. The self-portraits, which are connected with Levan Kharanauli's return to the creative process, reflect three stages of the artist's life (childhood, youth, and the present day) and are generally related to the path of personality change that brings about unexpected transformation in a person due to the power of circumstance. Artist Zeinab Barnovi created the project “Heroes Square1990-2022”, which visually describes one of the main areas of Tbilisi's urban development in the contexts of culture and architecture - the formation of Heroes Square - while at the same time chronicling individuals and society, their lives and daily routines, as well as the political events taking place around them. Host of the exhibition: Hermit space Curator of the exhibition: Salome Eristavi
14/03/2023
TSROMI Church - The church in Tsromi is one of the most important early medieval buildings in Georgia, from both architectural and historical points of view. According to tradition, the church was erected at the place where St. Razhden the Protomartyr, a fifth-century Iranian convert to Christianity, was executed. The first church at the location of St Razhden’s martyrdom in Tsromi was most probably built in the late fifth century.
01/03/2023
‘An Ocean Standing’ is a group show by Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, Kenneth Bergfeld, Bekhbaatar Enkhtur, Nina Kintsurashvili, Anna Zemánková The works presented in “An Ocean Standing” investigate seemingly paradoxical timescale that is both slowed down and intensified, prolonged and charged, organic and synthetic. In histories of performance, strategies of slowing down or stalling activity have been used to call attention to the time of the performance itself. While the artists featured here work with sculpture, painting, drawing and photography, they each address their chosen medium’s relationship to time through similar methods, bringing process and the timescale of making artwork into the room along the way. Michael Marder’s philosophical and existential writing about Clarice Lispector’s essay is the basis of the exhibition. Host of the exhibition Gallery: LC Queisser , Tbilisi
28/02/2023
Artist in focus • Anton Balanchivadze (b. 1978) is a Georgian artist who graduated from Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, specializing in Painting and Graphic Arts. The artist creates a model of his universe, where dramatic elements are connected with the world of fantasy. His works are housed in private collections in the USA, Japan and Europe. Seen at the Bridge is a joint exhibition of works by father and son Balanchivadze, bringing together up to 60 paintings by Jarji Balanchivadze and more than 40 canvases by Anton Balanchivadze. Installations created especially for this project were also exhibited. The host of the exhibition is National Gallery
22/02/2023
ARTIST IN RESIDENCY - group show presented by Ria Keburia Foundationunites five Georgian visual artists who have successfully completed a residency program in painting, sculpture and installation. Participant artists: Mari Aqubardia, Giorgi Vardiashvili, Lado Lomitashvili, Nika Koplatadze, Musya Qeburia. Curator Nino Asanidze
20/02/2023
A trip through the Impressive Architectural Landmarks in Tbilisi - Aghmashenebeli Avenue, Machabeli Street, Sololaki, Vera. The diversity of Tbilisi’s architecture was revealed from the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Cosmopolitan style met local traditions in Tbilisi, and this international artistic language of forms and themes merged with a clear national tradition.
20/02/2023
Artist in focus • Mariana Chkonia (b. 1969) is a Georgian artist living and working in Tbilisi and Nukriani – a village in Kakheti Region, Georgia. Based on traditional Georgian and South Caucasian fabric techniques such as dry and wet felting and the use of natural pigments, Chkonia’s work revives ancient traditions that have almost died out in Georgia, thus developing her own unique artistic language. Rooted in her architectural background, Chkonia’s work is spacious: assembling abstract geometrical forms into architectonic arrangements, while adding sculptural elements to the two-dimensional textile work. The Night of the Wolf-Headed King was the name of her solo show that was hosted by E.A. Shared Space. Based on a poem of the same title by experimental filmmaker, artist and poet Gogita Chkonia (1950-2009) her father, the exhibition brings together Chkonia’s recent body of work. which was especially produced for the occasion.
20/02/2023
“Between two worlds” is the name of the exhibition by Rusudan Petviashvili and Dima Petviashvili. Rusudan Petviashvili (1968) is a Georgian artist. Her paintings were exhibited with his brother’s sculptures. Surreal characters are often depicted in Rusudan’s works, and they represent celestial bodies. She depicts a unified world in Indian ink or ink, then moves on to the narration of characters and their adventures; the line is continuous, and it is difficult to discern where she ends up in the knot of symbolic weaving. Exhibition is dedicated to Rusudan Petviashvili’s husband. Host of the exhibition Art Gallery Noblesse
09/02/2023
#GlimpseinGallery - The Field of Unforgotten Memories is a group show by three Georgian artists – Tamar Nadiradze, Julieta Robakidze and Tornike Robaqidze. Tamar Nadiradze and Tornike Robakidze are young Georgian artists. They have taken part in several group exhibitions both locally and abroad. Their works are housed in private collections in Europe and the USA. Julieta Robakidze is a 94-year-old artist, and she began painting 7 months ago at the age of 94. She is Tornike Robakidze’s grandmother. This exhibition is presenting her artworks to the public for the first time. Host of the exhibition Gallery 4710
09/02/2023
The Zimmerli Art Museum presents selections from the Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union. It is the first major exhibition in the United States that focuses on Georgian artists. It features more than 60 objects, primarily mixed media collages and works on paper, that were created from the 1960s through the 1990s. Otar Chkhartishvili, Amir Kakabadze, Levan Magalashvili, Sergei Parajanov and Avto Varazi are among the featured artists. Organized by Sopio Gagoshidze, a Dodge Fellow at the Zimmerli Art Museum and a PhD candidate in Art History at Rutgers University, in consultation with Jane A. Sharp, PhD, Professor and Research Curator for Soviet Nonconformist Art. The exhibition and brochure are made possible by the Avenir Foundation Endowment Fund and the Dodge Charitable Trust–Nancy Ruyle Dodge, Trustee. Music by Irakli Charkviani (1961-2006)
30/01/2023
The Church of the Savior of Mghvimevi, which dates from the 1270s, stands on a steep cliff face high above the road in a suburb of the city of Chiatura in Imereti. It is built in front of a natural cave, and is partly sheltered by a large overhanging steep ledge of rock (the name of the place derives from Mghvime, which means cave in Georgian).