AUSSTELLUNG: Georgische Kalligraphie in der Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln

Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln, 15.01.2016, 17.00 Uhr bis 08.04.2016

Die Tradition der georgischen Kalligraphie reicht viele Jahrhunderte zurück.

In den Klöstern und Kirchen Georgiens wurden zahlreiche Bücher geschrieben und handschriftlich abgeschreben. Solche Manuskripte zählten bereits in frühen Jahrhunderten zum Gedanken- und Kulturgut Georgiens.

In georgischen und ausländischen Kulturstätten – überwiegend in Palästina und Bulgarien etablierten georgischen Lehrzentren – wurden Bücher in georgischer Sprache und Schrift verfasst. Die Gelehrten widmeten der päzisen Wiedergabe der georgischen Buchstaben, den eingesetzten Zierden und Ornamenten in Texten, besondere Aufmerksamkeit und beschäftigten sich akribisch mit diesem einzigartigen Alphabet. Auch wenn der Inhalt des jeweiligen Werkes im Vordergrund stand, kam jedoch die Individualität des einzelnen Kalligraphen durch seinen besonderen Stil zutage. Und so wurden nicht nur die Bücherbestände mit georgischen Werken bereichert, sondern auch ganz außerordentliche kalligraphische Kunstwerke geschaffen.

Auch im 20. Jahrhundert findet die alte Kalligraphie-Kunst noch ihre Anhänger. Nach einer längeren Unterbrechung entdecken immer mehr junge Leute ihre Begeisterung für die alte Kunst des dekorativen Schreibens in unserem durch Hi-Tech überladenen Zeitalter.

Die USB stellt den Kölner Studierenden und allen Bibliotheksbesuchern die Werke von vier jungen georgischen Künstlern vor, die sich dieses alten Handwerks angenommen haben und trotz eines anspruchsvollen Studiums Zeit finden, diese Tätigkeit auszuüben, und solch schöne Kunstwerke hervorbringen. Die Werke von David Maisuradze, Giorgi Gorgiashvili, Nika Ghunashvili und Vajha Eremeishvili sind im Zeitraum vom 15. Januar bis zum 2. April 2016 in der Vitrine vor der Cafeteria der USB zu bewundern.

Die Werke dieser jungen Künstler werden ausgestellt:
David Maisuradze, Giorgi Gorgiashvili, Vajha Eremeishvili, Nika Ghunashvili.

Ausstellung - Georgische Kalligraphie/ქართული ხელნაწერების გამოფენა

Kuratiert von Nino Burdiladze und Mikheil Sarjveladze von der Georgischen Hochschulgruppe "Aisi" - ქართველ სტუდენტთა გაერთიანება "აისი" 

Nika Ghunashvili

FOOD & WINE: Letter from Georgia: Doing the chacha. By Dan Peleschuk (guardian.co.uk)

(guardian.co.uk) A few shots of the national drink allow travellers to gaze on Tbilisi with fresh eyes

Our guide, Lasha, couldn't find any other words: "Have a couple shots," he kept saying with a wry smile, "and you'll be set."

Distilling the national spirit ... Georgian men in traditional clothes cook chacha during a holiday celebration. Photograph: Vano Shlamov/Getty

All afternoon, Lasha's attempts to describe the taste, strength and effects of chacha – Georgia's national spirit – had left us intrigued. We had spent the day touring the picturesque south Caucasian country, known for its majestic peaks, savoury cuisine and the hospitality of its locals. And Lasha, naturally, served as our source for all matters of local history and culture. But whenever the conversation turned toward chacha, a predominantly grape-based liquor reputed for its flavour and strength, he seemed at a loss for words.

So in the evening, as we headed back towards the capital of Tbilisi, a forlorn, roadside mess hut caught our attention. "Maybe they have it," Lasha wondered aloud as we pulled over.

He surveyed the kitchen, and we waited in the adjacent dining room. Minutes later, an apron-clad woman entered with a tray of khinkali, or boiled meat dumplings, and a bottle of clear, inconspicuous liquid. Success.

Once the khinkali had cooled, we raised our glasses, and toasted to one another. The subtle taste of grape tingled through my mouth as the high alcohol content registered, lighting my sinuses ablaze. A quick gulp of the salty juices from the khinkali neutralised the residual bitterness, but the satisfying burn remained. We repeated the process several times as the smile on my face grew larger. I soon realised Lasha was right: I was set.

The trip back to Tbilisi was swift. I began pulsating with excitement to explore the tree-lined streets and decaying, Tsarist-era buildings – sights we'd seen before, but not after several rounds of chacha. We bade Lasha farewell and escaped into the night, popping into one cafe after another. Somehow, the chacha changed everything. I was not drunk, but electric. My head wasn't spinning – it was sprinting ahead, along Tbilisi's winding streets.

The next morning, as we prepared to return home, Lasha appeared with a pair of two-litre water bottles filled with that same inconspicuous liquid. It was our own, home-brewed souvenir.

"Now I know you," he said with a smile. "Next time you come to Georgia, we'll celebrate properly."

• Every week Guardian Weekly publishes a Letter from one of its readers from around the world. We welcome submissions – they should focus on giving a clear sense of a place and its people. Please send them toweekly.letter.from@guardian.co.uk

CALL: A Georgian appeal: open letter to the west (opendemocracy.net)

Nino Burdzhanadze, 12 - 06 - 2009

The deep political tensions in Georgia have led to one of the country’s leading politicians, Nino Burdzhanadze, standing against the country’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili. She explains her thinking and appeals for engagement and understanding from the west. openDemocracy publishes the text as part of our longstanding and independent coverage of Georgia and the region.

Letter here >>>