In Conversation: Eteri Chkadua and Magda Guruli on the Contemporary Art Practices in the Caucasus

Thursday, May 22, 2014

18:30

Artist Eteri Chkadua, featured in the exhibition Neighbours, and exhibition advisor Magda Guruli meet on the “One Square Meter Stage,” set especially for Neighbours, to discuss Chkadua’s recent work and the dynamics of contemporary art practices in the Caucasus.

Born in Georgia, Eteri Chkadua positions her own body as the protagonist of the story in her works. The artist combines the cultures she has experienced with her Georgian identity, and thus creates an entirely new, unique identity and language. In her works, Chkadua treats of the effects of Georgia’s political history especially on its inhabitants, and, through diverse representational images, expresses pain, loss, defeat, courage, anxiety, pride, power, and regret. Most of the everyday objects in Chkadua’s paintings suggest many areas of reference from Georgian culture, such as traditional objects used in diverse rituals, ceremonies, and local arts and literature.

A curator and founder of Artisterium, the contemporary art exhibition and events in Tbilisi, Magda Guruli is also editor of the regional South Caucasus magazine CORD and of the contemporary art magazine LOOPA. Guruli wrote the article “In Search of a Flying Carpet: Pictures from a Caucasian Album” for the catalogue of the exhibition Neighbours, in which she investigates the multifaceted history of the region in an attempt to map aspects that have influenced the development of modern art in the South Caucasus. Under the guidance of Magda Guruli’s research, the conversation explores the national folklore and the traditions of language and narrative seen in the works of artists living and working in the South Caucasus, focusing especially on those of Eteri Chkadua.

The event is free of charge and will be held in English.