The Georgian National Museum Tbilisi History Museum is hosting Artisterium, Tbilisi's 11th International Contemporary Art Exhibition and Art Event.
On November 9, the opening of the Artisterium 11/2018 was held at Tbilisi History Museum Karvasla, followed by foreign and local contemporary artists’ exhibitions.
According to the curator of Artisterium, Magda Guruli, ‘Artisterium As It Is, 2018’ will be the last Artisterium exhibition as it is, now, as this year a decade-long cycle of contemporary art exhibitions will be completed.
“From 2019, Artisterium will evolve into a new format. However, the connection with the Artisterium's traditional space, Tbilisi History Museum, will not end. Further details will be available next year,” Guruli said. “Since our first exhibition in November 2008, we have always held Georgia's tumultuous political, social and cultural changes at the forefront of our minds. We've tried to cast the momentum of Georgian history and artistic thought into the wider international context, and of course, visa versa.”
She went on to express hope that the event’s partners and sponsors, the Georgian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Tbilisi City Hall, British Council, Goethe Institute, French Institute, the Embassies of USA, Poland, Israel, Estonia, Holland, and other international and local organizations in Georgia, would remain with them on their continuing journey.
“The goals we had in 2008 have been generously fulfilled and the formative atmosphere of Artisterium has claimed a place in the history of Georgian art,” Guruli noted. “Where the new road will lead us, we don't know. But that, of course, is down to the artistic process. And within it we shall remain devotedly hand in hand with our audience. Alongside this, our accumulated organizational experience and management skills over 11 years will definitely aid the way forward.
This year’s exhibition is on until November 19 at the Tbilisi History Museum.
As Lika Mamatsashvili, Doctor of Arts, Curator, and Head of Permanent exhibitions noted, the Tbilisi History Museum has significantly contributed to the development of contemporary arts.
“The international program Artisterium has existed for 11 years now. It was launched by two Georgian artists, Iliko Zautashvili and Magda Guruli. In the first year, the artists of five countries participated in Artisterium. Nowadays, no less than 15 countries take part in this exhibition and are delighted to be a part of it,” Mamatsashvili said. “Every year, Artisterium sends different messages to society. This year, the exhibition is titled ‘Artisterium As It Is,’ and it presents the artworks of contemporary Georgian and foreign artists. Georgian students also expressed their wish to participate in Artisterium this year, so the attendees of the exhibition can enjoy their artworks as well,” she said.
This year, Artisterium is mostly dedicated to Czech artists and their artworks, with 12 Czech artists participating alongside other contemporary artists from different countries.
Professors of Ostrava University recently came to Georgia to establish long-term partnerships with the Tbilisi Art Academy. According to Pavel Forman, an internationally acclaimed Czech artist and curator, collaboration between Georgian and Czech artists will be more active in the future.
“This is my second time in Georgia. I took part in Artisterium 2016,” Forman said. “This year, I told Artisterium’s curator Magda Guruli I wanted to bring here artists from Ostrava City, which is quite an interesting region boasting many exciting artists. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Tbilisi Art Academy and the Ostrava Faculty of Fine Arts and have started collaboration and we are planning to implement a lot of interesting activities within the framework of this collaboration in the future,” he elaborated.
Within the framework of Artisterium 11/2018, Tbilisi History Museum also hosted Artist Talks on November 10-11. ‘Artisterium As It Is’ has many more interesting art events to offer art lovers. The program of the festival includes:
Friday November 16
7 PM: Dima Filatov (Ukraine), personal exhibition K ART ON
Presentation of the Artisterium 11/2018 catalogue.
WHERE: Dédicace Gallery, 27 Athoneli Str. at the Dry Bridge, Tbilisi.
Sunday November 18
5 – 7 PM: Presentation of the Artisterium 11/2018 catalogue.
WHERE: Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi History Museum (Karvasla), 8 Sioni str, Tbilisi.
The exhibition is supported by The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia and the Municipal Department of Culture, Education, Sport and Youth Affairs.
By Ana Dumbadze