Remains Kutaisi, Botanical Garden, 2019.
Artisterium, the annual international contemporary art exhibition, is an educational, cultural and creative platform, founded in Tbilisi in 2008. The name ‘Artisterium’ refers to the art club functioning in early 20th century Tbilisi, around the local magazine ‘ARS.’ Then the city was a thriving modernist and futurist hub and the club famous for its highly innovative and intensive arts program. It hosted avant-garde exhibitions, poetry evenings, lectures and other activities responding to the Cubo-futuristic tendencies of the time. By re-evoking this name we were able to restore Georgia’s contemporary art connections to the Tbilisian style of modernism, thus its roots.
In 2019 “Artisterium” now moves out to the Georgian regions. Its aim is to share the ten years experience of international art and develop a new, decentralized audience for the artistic dynamism of Georgia.
Kutaisi is the first city of the Artisterium’s new mission. The city boasts a rich modernist tradition of its own and played a key role in the development of contemporary Georgian culture. 2019 also marks the 130th anniversary of Georgia’s most famous modernist artist Davit Kakabadze (1889-1952) who was born not far from the city in the village of Kukhi, Imereti. Both he and Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930) – who also spent his early life near the city and attended the Gymnasium school in Kutaisi – would become world influencers in trans-national art.
Artisterium 2019 also includes a Tbilisi presentation of the project at Tbilisi History Museum (19-20 June), via video and photo documentation of the Kutaisi exhibitions and art events.
Partners in the Artisterium are:
The David Kakabadze Fine Art Gallery of Kutaisi,
Vladimir Mayakovsky House Museum, Baghdadi,
Cultural Service of Kutaisi City Hall,
Georgian National Museum,
Tbilisi History Museum,
Explore Georgia, travel company,
Polish Institute in Georgia.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Georgia.
Event Calendar
June 11, Tuesday
David Kakabadze Kutaisi Fine Art Gallery, 8 Rustaveli Street, Kutaisi 4600
18:00- International Group Exhibition Opening ‘Artisterium XII, On the Road, Kutaisi’
Lia Ukleba, Christine Robakidze, Roland Shalamberidze, Tea Sulaberidze, Mindia Charkseliani, Rocko Iremashvili, Luka Zautashvili, Manuchar Okrostsvaridze, Guram Tsibakhashvili, Lisa Glonti, Georgia; So Young, S.Korea; Ali Bramwell, New Zealand; Nezaket Ekici, Turkey; Shahar Marcus, Israel; Masaru Iwai, Japan; Lisa Biedlingmaier, Jens Rausch, Germany; Dominique Fury, Alex Perret, France; Enrique Muñoz García, Switzerland/Chile.
Exhibition project
‘The United Futuristic Platform’, Har Zu (Harutyun Zulumyan), Inna Grinchel, Alexey Parygin, Vadim Bo, Igor Ulangin, Iasha Krainiy, St Petersburg.
Video program
Georgian Video Art, Elene Rakviashvili, Mamuka Japharidze, Thea Telia, Ia Re and Misha Maisuradze, Wato Tsereteli, Kote Sulaberidze, Zura Chartolani, Iliko Zautashvili.
June 12, Wednesday
David Kakabadze Kutaisi Fine Art Gallery, 8 Rustaveli Street, Kutaisi 4600.
14:00 – lecture Julia Fiedorczuk (Poland) ‘The Link Between Culture and Nature in Contemporary Poetry’
16:00 – performance program: Elene Rakviashvili, Zaira Nadirashvili, Georgia; Jessy Theo Rahman, The Netherlands/Surinam, Shahnaz Aghayeva, Azerbaijan.
June 13, Thursday
09:00 – artistic walk. ‘From Cave to Cathedral,’ Peter Nasmyth, UK, journey from Tsutskhvati cave complex, Satsire jet and wooden cut workshops, abandoned mines and tea plantations – to Gelati Cathedral. (Lasts all day)
June 14, Friday
Kursebi Village
13:00 – presentation of the project ‘Mushroom Hunters,’ Gabriel Adams, Ashlyn Morgan, USA
June 15, Saturday
David Kakabadze Kutaisi Fine Art Gallery, 8 Rustaveli Street, Kutaisi 4600.
12:00 – lectures:
Lasha Bakradze ‘The Exuberant Life and Tragic Death of the Blue Horns’
Keti Shavgulidze ‘HOOPLA… The Play with Time and Space’
Nana Kipiani, ‘MEARIS ENANTI – Beginning of the New Art in Kutaisi’
Alexey Parygin, ‘Post Urbanism as the Concept of the Future’
16:00 – text in the public space, ‘Silence’, Mariam Natroshvili and Detu Jincharadze, Geogria.
17:00 – sculpture in the public space, ‘Remains’ Pawel Matyszewski, Poland, Kutaisi Botanical Garden, 2 Leselidze Street, Kutaisi.
22:00 – 3D projection on Kakabadze Gallery façade, ‘Untitled’ Niko Tsetskhladze, Galaktion Kintsurashvili, Georgia.
June 16, Sunday
Vladimir Mayakovski House Museum, 1000, Baghdati, 51 Baghdati Street
13:00 – futuristic poetry, Peter Nasmyth, Erekle Deisadze, Vadim Bo, Igor Ulangin.
June 19-20
Tbilisi History Museum. 8 Sioni str, Tbilisi.
18:00-20:00 – presentation of the Artisterium 12 / 2019 (video-photo documentation)