On May the 8th, the TBC Gallery opened an exhibition dedicated to David Kakabadze – pioneering Georgian artist, scientist, inventor and one of the founders of Georgian modernism. Organized by TBC and the David Kakabadze Foundation, the exhibition was starting point for a large-scale, multifaceted project that marks the 130th anniversary since artist’s birth.
The family archive, presented at the exhibition by the David Kakabadze Foundation, comprises various materials including, drafts, documents, notes, and sketches. Based on extensive analysis of the Kakabadze’s archive, the exhibition aimed to methodologically cover its history. The imminent continuation of this research attempts to link this heritage to multimedia art and to create new artistic forms and ideas.
The diversity of the collection represents David Kakabadze as a researcher, scientist and a figure with a clear national identity. Kakabadze initiated numerous artistic and scientific projects in Georgia and France. He worked on electro-technical experiments, creating a stereo-cinematic apparatus and refining the means of expressions in cinema. Electronic illumination and rays of light held a primary place in these experiments. He was the first to speak about the synthesis of art and production; in this context, he created abstract pieces, collages and Stalin’s three-dimensional (3D) light art.
David Kakabadze was interested in medieval Georgian art, ethnography, the Renaissance, Chinese and Japanese art, cubism, futurism, and other movements. His outlook combined tradition and new information into a single context. His art represents both Oriental and Western values, which makes his work especially significant in light of the Georgian identity.
Project Partners:
Georgian National Museum, Kote Marjanishvili State Drama Theater, Rustaveli Theater, David Kakabadze Kutaisi Fine Art Gallery, Giorgi Chubinashvili National Research Centre for the History of Georgian Art and Monument Protection.
Authors of the project: Nina Akhvlediani & Mariam Kakabadze;
Strategic curator: Davit Koroshinadze
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