Georgia
Georgia Pavilion at the 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Change in Drawing Orchestra
Georgia is represented at 53rd International Art Exhibition – “Making Worlds” as an independent country for the second time with its own pavilion (first time it was in 2007 at the 52nd International Art Exhibition). The presenter is the Ministry of Culture, Monument Protection and Sports of Georgia in the frames of program “The Georgian Season”.
Artist: Koka Ramishvili
Curator: Khatuna Khabuliani
Head organizer: Manana Muskhelishvili
Co-organizer: Arte Communications
Commissioner: Georgi Alexi- Meskhishvili
Vice-commissioners: Paolo De Grandis
Web site: www.georgian-pavilion.org / www.kokaramishvili.org
Georgian program consists of two parts:
1. Exposition at Georgian pavilion
2. Workshop (film screening and lecture)
1. Exposition at Georgian pavilion
Participant: Koka Ramishvili
Art by Koka Ramishvili is focused on dualistic world and its eternal changes and unfolds from medium-document to medium-image.
The Georgian Pavilion exposes his video/audio installation – “Change in Drawing Orchestra” (Audio/video installation consisting of two independent works in two halls. Audio – Koka Ramishvili&Nika Machaidze) 2009.
The first installation is “Change 2 Version” displayed in Georgian exposition. It is inspired by a real historical fact – change of a ruling class in Georgia through the revolution. This piece of work brings forward the process of transformation on the level of abstraction, turning a concrete issue into an illustration of system of global relations.
“Drawing Orchestra” is the second installation and interprets global processes through two dynamics:
a. Post totalitarian art aesthetics which appear to be the one still affected by strong discipline of classical drawing, and b. contemporary art experience and technologies signified by video format and free-modeling of sound: the sound of touch of pencil & paper is compressed and decompressed in this work. An absolutely new hybrid is constructed as a result of diffusion of two different experiences
Venue:
Spiazzi, Castello 3865,
Arsenale, 30122 Venice
Open to the public:
7 June - 22 November 2009; opening hours 10.00 am – 6.00 pm; closed on Tuesdays
2. Workshop (film screening and lecture)
Participants:
Wato Tsereteli
Levan Koguashvili
The Georgia project also includes a workshop consisting of film screenings and following lectures in a special auditorium. Two works - “Descriptions: Tbilisi” (video essay, 26 min., 2009) by Wato Tsereteli and “The Women From Georgia”(videodocumentary, 54 min., 2008) by Levan Koguashvili will be shown during the screening two times – in June, 4 and June 6.
The video essay “Descriptions: Tbilisi” by Wato Tsereteli examines ignored or forgotten values of the city, which is developing in a very fast manner and its permanent changes are hard to forecast. Disappearing historical memory, semantic and transcendent layers build the scheme for some kind of a trip, where artist tries to define identity of Tbilisi. Poster of the video is designed as a map with conditional borders and contains data about the distances between Tbilisi and other points of the world, metaphorically hinting on banal paradox, that neighboring territories may remain unknown, while there may exist an illusion of being close to the other countries on another side of the map.
“The Women from Georgia” – the documentary by Levan Koguashvili tells a routine story of illegal immigrant women from Georgia who live and work in New York. Dramatic issue originates from the crisis reality, which people have to escape by the means of immigration. They choose to live in slave-like conditions in order to save their families. Their life seems surrealistic as illegal immigrant status doesn’t allow them to visit their homeland: after doing so they will never be able to go back to New York again. Many of these women virtually bring up their children via telephone - they help them to do homework, teach them how to pray and sing lullabies at night. Everything happens via telephone.
The film discusses the topic as a part of further drama of material world, where almost nobody has time for elderly parents being entirely focused on their own professional career.
Venue:
Presidio Militare Caserma “Cornoldi”
Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4140
30122 Venice
Open to the public:
4 and 6 June 2009; opening hours 3.00 – 6.00 pm
Information:
Arte Communications
Tel: (39) 041. 526 4546 Fax: (39) 041. 276 9056
E-mail: info@artecommunications.com
pressoffice@artecommunications.com
Web site: www.artecommunications.com