Tbilisi multimedia display to highlight Georgia's ethnic, religious diversity
The month-long exhibition will look to present stories of the ethnic and religious groups that comprise the diverse nature of the Georgian society but often struggle to find economic opportunities and civic integration. Photo via TPMM
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Works by a group of artists will be brought together at Tbilisi Photography and Multimedia Museum on Friday, for a month-long display highlighting ethnic and religious diversity of Georgia.
Exhibiting contributions in photography, video and sound from established names of both local and international scenes, the display - entitled A River in Silent Flux - will look to represent the vibrant cultural nature of the Georgian society, organisers said ahead of the opening.
Organisers said the show was put together to represent the ethnic and religious minorities that comprise 13 percent of the population and contribute to the country's cultural, political civic and economic life.
[Despite the challenges, the representatives of minorities] are loyal citizens of Georgia, living and working where they were born, and creating families. This is their only homeland
- preview by organisers
A summary of the exhibition theme also highlighted the minorities' "frequent feelings of being unseen" through their inability to "fully participate in civic life and receive benefits of the country's development", and pointed to the necessity of creating a policy for economic integration to address the issue.
Along with the works by the selected photographers, multimedia contributions by students of the Multimedia Lab of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs will be exhibited in the show.
The exhibition depicts the lives of members of minority groups captured by artists ranging from internationally-renowned photographers to ethnic minority students just learning to use photography to portray the world as they see it
- preview by organisers
The line-up of involved creatives includes Natela Grigalashvili, David Meskhi, Justyna Mielnikiewicz, Tako Robakidze, Dina Oganova and Guram Tsibakhashvili. Other names involved in the display are Tbel Abuseridze, Shakh Aivazov, Gia Chkhatarashvili, Vakho Khetaguri, Yuri Mechitov, Julien Pebrel, Giorgi Shengelia and Irma Sharikadze.
The student contributions to the exhibition will involve a selection of works by creatives representing different ethnicities in Georgia, while musical artist Liza Rivs contributed the sound element to the display.
A River in Silent Flux is organised within the diversity campaign #WeAreSakartvelo of the United States Agency for International Development.
Set to run between March 18-April 15, the exhibition will host visitors at the TPMM venue, located at 14 Merab Kostava Street in Tbilisi.
Award-winning photographer Natela Grigalashvili will further develop one of her most recognised series about communities in Georgia after receiving the Photo-Reportage Grant from the Eyes on Main Street festival.
Photographic works reflecting the plight of generations forced into migration throughout the South Caucasus following the dissolution of the Soviet Union will go on display at Tbilisi's Untitled Gallery later this week, celebrating the work of photographer Lilith Matevosyan.
Photographic works by women from the South Caucasus will be unveiled by the Tbilisi Photography & Multimedia Museum next week to present results of the platform's grant for supporting women and contribute to photographic education in the region.
Art enthusiasts in Georgia's capital Tbilisi can learn about the rich history of ethnic and religious diversity in the country through paintings by over a dozen artists from the past centuries at the Museum of Fine Arts starting on Tuesday.