FEAST OR FAMINE

From 30 October to 4 November 2018, the Georgian National Museum, The Embassy of the United Mexican States in Georgia, and The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, present the photography exhibition of Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Tbilisi called 'A Smile in the Middle of the Way.'  The photo exhibition features the installation "Dream in the Garden" created by Georgian artist Irma Sharikadze dedicated to Frida Kahlo. The exhibition displays about 100 photographs depicting the daily life of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo and the two artists working in their studio.  Many people photographed their relationship, including Guillermo Kahlo, Peter Julie, Guillermo Zamora, Nicolas Murray, Edward Weston, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, and Juan Guzmán. The relationship between Diego and Frida lasted 25 years, from their marriage (1929) to Fridas' death (1954). They repeatedly separated and reconciled. In spite of disagreements and separation,

Temo Japaridze was a Georgian oil painter and graphic artist, author and actor. Temo Japaridze (1937-2012) studied at the Department of Western European Languages and Literature at the Tbilisi State University.  He never studied fine arts, but he became one of Georgia’s most important visual artists. He was one of the first Georgian representatives of the Soviet non-conformist movement in the 1960s. Hence he sought new ways, forms, and materials to experiment with oil painting.  MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author of:-  Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author of:-  Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Otar Chkhartishvili (1938-2006) was a Georgian oil painter and graphic artist, specializing in collage and assemblage. Chkhartishvili studied at the Tbilisi Academy of Fine Arts. He was expelled three time for his unconventional thinking and for protesting against the school’s teaching methods, but always re-instated due to his talents.  He participated in the legendary ‘Bulldozer Exhibition’ and remained avant-garde and a rebel. He befriended the Moscow underground movement with artist Evgeny (Zhenya) Rukhin and exhibited a number of experimental artworks, especially associated with Soviet images and symbols.  MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author of:-  Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Davit Monavardisashvili (1959-) is a Georgian graphic and charge scenic artist, sculptor, and awardee of the order of honour in 2011. Monavardisashvili studied in the Industrial Graphic Department at the Tbilisi Academy of Fine Arts from 1973-82. He has produces scenic designs for a variety of performances at the Opera and Ballet Theatres in Tbilisi and Novosibirsk.  As a graphic artist, he experiments with various materials to synthesize the principles of design, sculpture, and oil painting. Monavardisashvili uses metal and wood in particular. His series of artworks includes the nail series, the wire series, and the armchair series, exhibited in the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author of:-  Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-