SUKHISHVILEBI
Sukhishvilebi – Georgian National Ballet was founded by Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili in 1945. Throughout its history the Georgian National Ballet has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, Madison Square Garden, La Scala and Albert Hall among others. Today “Sukhishvilebi” is led by Iliko Sukhishvili (Chief Choreographer, Art Director) and Nino Sukhishvili (General Director, Producer) […]
KING PARNAVAZ
The story of Parnavaz (299-234 B.C.) begins with a legend about the military expedition of Alexander the Great in Iberia (eastern Georgia or Kartli). Alexander conquered all the lands of the known world, and during his glorious conquests he also visited Iberia. Here, in Iberia, he came across strange people with bizarre and disgusting habits. […]
THE GOLDEN KINGDOM OF COLCHIS
Colchis was the first definitive political formation created by the ancestors of modern Georgians. It emerged in the lands of western Georgia (while another ancient Georgian kingdom, that of Iberia, was established in eastern Georgia). For the Greeks, Colchis was a fabulous land of gold and magic. Scholars often refer to the renowned myth of […]
BETANIA: WALL PAINTINGS OF THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF THE VIRGIN
Betania monastery is located in the valley of the River Vera, not far from Tbilisi. The monastery was founded in the 11th century by the powerful Orbeliani family, and became a shrine for its members. Initially it was a large basilica, built of brick, but in the 12th century the building was reconstructed as a domed […]
THEATRE IN A NONTHEATRICAL SPACE
In the 1960-70s, the emerging trends that were taking place in the realm of the visual arts became part of theatrical life as well, and resulted in the pioneers of environmental theater attempting to launch a war against traditional differentiated performing spaces (i.e. stage vs. auditorium). A desire to erase the limit between a real […]
CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS NEAR MTSKHETA (JVARI CHURCH)
After the conversion of Iberia (east Georgia) around 330, St Nino, the illuminatrix of Georgia, erected a large wooden cross on the mountaintop near Mtskheta, which drew a lot of worshippers. Chroniclers mention it as an important pilgrimage site and one of the most sacred places in the Caucasus. Between 545 and 586, a small church, the so-called […]
KARLO KACHARAVA – SENTIMENTAL TRAVELER
Text and visual image are often interchangeable in the works of Karlo Kacharava (კარლო კაჭარავა), Georgian art critic, artist and poet (1964-1994). He inscribed notes on and inserted texts into his paintings. Similarly, his writings contain many sketches and colour illustrations. His Cologne Diary, published with the support of the Goethe Institut Georgia, is a […]
