Multimedia Project Heritage
Rich Mix saw the opening of exhibition Heritage, brought to London as a result of collaboration between cARTveli foundation, Dash Arts and Rich Mix. The multimedia project initiated by Levan Mindiashvili unites long-term friends, fellow Georgian artists- Tato Akhalkatsishvili, Irakli Bugiani, Uta Bekaia and Christian Tonhaiser, from Argentina to research historical, social and cultural constructions that come to be integral parts of the informational baggage that burdens and shapes each individual.
Georgia, after 20 + years of independence is in active process of redefining its identity and rethinking its value system, however, the discourse consciously ignores the very recent past of the country. Having obtained enough distance from his homeland after moving to New York, Mindiashvili realised this paradox and decided to embark on the journey to investigate the notion of Past and its role in shaping an individual. Resulting multimedia project Heritage attempts to raise awareness around the vitality of self-reflection as the only way of progressing. Inaugurated in 2013 at the Georgian National Museum, the project intends to have an on-going nature and each new exhibition will present artists’ further exploration into the topic. The exhibition at Rich Mix is a second volume of the project.
Irakli Bugiani, Untitled, 2013-2014
Irakli Bugiani’s uninhabited landscapes of high-rise building blocks remind of Soviet postcards that were printed to celebrate ‘prosperous’ life while building Communism. These buildings are produced as collective images of countless apartment blocks, city halls and town theatres that still stand across Georgia, but are in appalling conditions. The artist seems to be reminiscing about the glory of their previous lives, when they were the emblems of Soviet prosperity. Bugiani’s canvases are imbued with the nostalgia that many in Post Soviet countries feel- a longing for careless past, a sentiment caused by the hardship of living in transitional countries; too often Soviet life is idealised and evils of that system are consigned to oblivion.
These paintings tie into the artist’s general interest in soviet architecture. Bugiani is extensively researching the relationship between built environments and its influences on shaping the consciousness of people inhabiting those spaces.
Tato Akhalkatsishvili, Born In, 2014
Tato Akhalkatsishvili in his Born In series focuses on the feeling of entrapment that is common in his generation born at the decline of Soviet Union and grown up after its dissemination. His oil canvases are dominated by impenetrable and inescapable darkness, accentuated by intruding light- untroubled blue sky with pristine clouds or shadows of pine trees indicating on brightly lit environments somewhere outside the standpoint. The canvases position the viewer at the bottom of concrete hole; the sensation is so well portrayed it leaves one desperate for air. Akhalkatsishvili picks up on the common belief of his coeval Georgians that happiness exists somewhere, but too far away and the chances of reaching out to that spotlight are slim to none.
Uta Bekaia, Fuasia Tatasia, 2014
Uta Bekaia approaches the concept of heritage as an accumulation of human experiences that is passed on to generations biologically, mentally and physically. For this exhibition he revives the ancient Mingrelian (province in Georgia) spell Fuasia Tatasia that his grandmother used to perform to dispel evil spirits and cure little Uta from toothache. With this installation Bekaia evokes warmest sentiments from his childhood and juxtaposes them with folk myths and legends to produce a memorial to those experience that turn into dearest recollections through time and that come to define the very best in each person.
Cristian Tonhaiser, Untitled, 2014
Cristian Tonhaiser also contemplates on family ties and the experiences that are passed on as part of family relics. Inspired by Argentinian poet Alejandra Pizarnik, Tonhaiser re-enacts the aesthetics of family album- photographs of pinnacle events from the life of a certain family ends the exposition on a highly personal note.
Levan Mindiashvili, Archives, 2014
The opening of the exhibition was accompanied by a screening of Zahesi 708, Tamuna Karumidze’s dimploma piece for her Audio/Video Media Design course. The film captures a week in Tbilisi in 1990s- life on the streets, house parties, fashion shows, and random conversations with friends, family. Plotless documentary footage, vibrating with the feeling of purposelessness, draws a portrait of Tbilisi- sentimental, and annoying, charming and infuriating, absurd and content. (the link to the movie)
The project was brought to Rich Mix with the support of Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia, TBC Bank, ARDI Insurance and NES Gallery.
Tato Akhalkatishvili Born in Tbilisi in 1979, where he currently lives and produces his art. After graduating from Tbilisi State Academy of Arts in 2003 he started exhibiting his works on international art fairs, solo and group exhibitions and projects in the United States, Japan, Europe and Georgia. He is the winner of several national and international art prizes, among them are two 1st Prizes at the International art Fairs in 2005 and 2007 (Both Germany together with the “Figurative Art Studio”) and the 3rd Prize for the best painting at The Winter Salon of The National Gallery of Georgia. His works are kept in private collections worldwide.
Uta Bekaia A New York based multimedia artist and designer, born in Tbilisi in 1974. He graduated from Mtsire Akademia as industrial designer and debuted as artist at Tbilisi Avant-Garde Fashion Assembly (AMA) in 1998 with his first art/fashion collection. Since 1998 he has lived and worked in New York City. Uta has worked on numerous theater and movie projects as art director and costume designer. He creates wearable sculptures for performances and multimedia installations. Bekaia has participated in art fairs and fashion weeks in New York (US), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Toronto (Canada), Paris (France), Maastricht (Holland), Brighton (UK) and Berlin (Germany). His creations have been reviewed in publications including The Village Voice, Time Out New York and The Wall Street Journal.
Irakli Bugiani Born in Tbilisi in 1980. In 1998 / 2001 he studied at Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. In 2001 he moved to Germany to study at The State Academy of Fine Arts of Karlsruhe (Graduated in 2006). He obtained a master degree in Art History at Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf (2010), where he currently resides. He has held five solo shows in Germany and Croatia. Among his awards are the Portrait Prize of Freiburg University (Germany), Artist Stipend of the City of Dusseldorf (Germany), Residency at AZ Gallery, Zagreb (Croatia) and Kunstpreis Junger Westen, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen (Germany).
Tamuna Karumidze is a multimedia artist, born in Tbilisi in 1975 where she currently lives and works. She had obtained a Master Degree of Audio/Video media Design at The University of Arts of Berlin (Germany) in 2008. Her main field is a video / underground cinema which she explores to create installations and environments. Her works have been screened at various International Film Festivals, Art Forums and Exhibitions in Germany, Georgia, Netherlands, Austria, France and Switzerland. Besides her personal projects, she had worked as an assistant director at various movies, such as ‘Chantrapas” of Otar Ioseliani, ‘Game” of Nika Machaidze, ‘Triger Tiger’ of Salome Machaidze, etc.
Levan Mindiashvili is a multimedia artist and independent curator, born in Tbilisi in 1979. He currently lives between New York (US) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). After graduating from Tbilisi Sate Academy of Art in 2003, he started exhibiting his works and participating in various art events/art fairs throughout Europe, Latin America, United States and Georgia. In 2010 he obtained MA degree in Cross Media Arts at Buenos Aires National University of Arts (IUNA). During 2009-2012 he worked as a curator at Laguanacazul Art Gallery (Buenos Aires), organizing art projects involving local and foreign artists. During the same period he performed at the experimental theater company Ensamble Caustico (Buenos Aires). Among his awards are FABLES Commission Grant for Public Art Project, New York City (US, 2014), Movistar Emerging Artist of 2011 (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and the 3rd Prize for Drawing at the Salon Museo Metropolitano (Buenos Aires, 2010).
Cristian Tonhaiser A Photographer and video artist born in Buenos Aires in 1966. He studied graphic design at the National University of Buenos Aires where later on he was teaching for two years. His debut as a photographer at the 1st Biennale of Young Art was awarded with the First Prize. He exhibits his works extensively in Argentina, US, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Canada and Georgia. In 2010 and 2011 he was commissioned video art pieces for the curator’s Carte Blanche screenings at The Festival of Photography and Video Art (AVIFF) in Cannes (France).