ART: Handmade Print Festival TBILISI. LIFE N STYLE, 2019

Closing Event

Dates: 17.10.2019– 28.10.2019
Program: 17.10.2019 - 19.00 p.m
MOMA Tbilisi Modern Art Museum

Article: Georgia to Host 4th Int’l Print Festival ‘LIFE N STYLE’ [georgiatoday.ge]


We Have Pleasure to Invite You on the 4th issue of the Handmade Print Festival TBILISI. LIFE N STYLE, 2019, Presentation & visual installation

100 Georgian & International Contemporary Artists Handmade Prints.
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Austria, Estonia, Turkey, Lithuania, Russia, Greece, Armenia, France, Hong Kong

Participant artists & curators:

Georgia – Handmade and milited edktion printing studio – Curator - Nana Kirmelasvili; Artists: David Aleksidze, Mariam Akubardia, Mari Ataneli (Mari Ataneli), Lia Bagrationi, Maka Batiashvili (Maka Batiashvili), Uta Bekaia (Uta Bekia), Natia Benashvili, Nino Bilikhodze, Nino Bosikashvili (NinoBosikashviliArt), Sopo Cherkezishvili, Ketevan Davlianidze, Nato Eristavi, Nutsa Esebua, Gia Gogatishvili, Gia Gugushvili, Kote Jincharadze (Kote Jincharadze), Natia Kalandadze, Rusudan Khizanishvili, Tutu Kiladze, Guga Kotetishvili, Luka Lazar /Lasareishvili, Mai Lashauri (Mai Lashuri Art), Tamar Maglaperidze-Dadeshkeliani, George Maskharashvili, Vakhtang Megrelishvili, Konstantin Mindadze (Konstantin Mindadze Studio), Nino Moseshvili, Zaira Nadirashvili, Manuchar Okrostsvaridze, Guela Patiachvili (Guela Patiachvili Art), Elene Rakviashvili, Koka Ramishvili, Salome Rigvava (Art by Salome Rigvava), Romanoz (Romanoz), Julia Sanikidze, Mariam Shakarashvili, Lia Shvelidze, Malkhaz Shvelidze, Murtaz Shvelidze, Tam Oonz, Maka Tavamaishvili, Teyo, Oleg Timchenko, Kako Topuria (KAKO), Luka Tsetskhladze, Mamuka Tsetskhladze, Guram Tsibakhashvili (Guram Tsibakhashvili), Tinatin Tskhadadze (Tinatin Tskhadadze), Guela Tsouladze, Tamaz Varvaridze, Iliko Zautashvili, Maka Zedelashvili (Maka Zedelashvili Art), Shalva Khakhanashvili, David Machavariani / Kakadu;

Georgia – Tbilisi Academy of Arts – Curator – Tamaz Varvaridze; Artists: Loreta Abashidze-Shengelia, Mariam Davitashvili, Mariam Kalmakhelidze, Anastasia Kvakchakhadze, Lika Kviciani, Viktoria Makharadze, Salome Vacheishvili, George Jordania, Lela Zarkua; Georgia – Aluminum Etching Workshop – Curator – Vakhtang Megrelishvili (Vakhtang Megrelishvili); Artists: Mari Ataneli, Mariam Akhobadze, Natia Benashvili, Mariam Chelidze, Maya Chichua, https://www.facebook.com/DMariami, Nino Esaiashvili, George Jordania, Zura Khatiashvili, Rusudan Khizanishvili, Nino Khvingia, Nukri Kutateladze, Lika Kviciani, Vakhtang Megrelishvili, Lia Shvelidze, Salome Vacheishvili; Georgia –- Ozurgeti – Lithuania – Curator Tandila Tavartkiladze; Artists: Tamaz Darchia, Kura Brodskaya, Gia Gvichia, Ugne Zylite, Neringa Zukauskaite, Tandila Tavartkiladze

Austria – Roberto Muffaletto

China – B. Conrad Lau

Armenia – Greece – Curator - Masha-Marina Yeremyan; Artists: Ioannis Chantzidis (Greece), Stepan Veranyan, Vahagn Halambashyan

Estonia – Ukraine – Curator - Olga lybaskina; Artists: Khachatur Bely, Yuri Arrak, Vera Stanishevskaya, Vlad Stanishevsky, Ivan Pirkov

France: Gabrille Kurdadze

Ukraine; Azerbaijan – Artists: Shakhnaz Aghaeva, Inna Kostina; Museib Amirov   

Turkey – Curator - Denizhan Ozer; Artists: Deniz Cobankent, Kara Devabil, Erdem Ilgin, Gonca Erim, Ozgur Eryilmaz, Hakan Esmer, Lutfu Kaplanoglu, Serap Özergin, Kader Ozturkmen, Ilnah Sumeyra, Oben Yilmaz;

Russia – Curator – Ria Keburia Gallery (Ria Keburia)

Artists: Anna Voda, Adil Aubekerov, Roman Ermakov (Roman Ermakov Art), Sasha Frolova, Vera Reiner, Masha Ershova, Tatyana Plakhova

Russia – Alexsander Florenski, Olga Florenskaia

Exhibition in Space

Georgian artist Romanoz (Art by Romanoz)
Exposition in Stratosphere /Documentary/
Address: 27, Rustaveli avenue, Str. Tbilisi. Georgia
Date 18.10.2019 – 18.11.2019
Opening 18.10.2019 – 20:00

October 18 th Sculpture Park opening in Wine Factory # 1

Participant artists: Sepo / Tengiz Sepiashvili, Nato Eristavi, Venera Kazarova, Uta Bekaia, Roman Ermakov, Sasha Frolova, Oleg Timchenko, Anya Mokhova, Luka Tsetskhladze, Tbilisi State Academy of Arts Address: 1 Petriashvili str, Tbilisi. Georgia Curator: RIA KEBURIA FOUNDATION

Event Supporters: Tbilisi Municipality Mayor, Georgian Innovation & Development Center,
HYTECH-GS (NASA Spinoff Technolgy), Ria Keburia Gallery,
Batumi Municipality Mayor, Château Svanidzeebis Marani
General Media Partner: The Financial
Internet Partner: MAGTI
Media Partners: Radio Tavisupleba, Antidot, PRIME TIME

Curator: Nana Kirmelashvili
Tel: +995 599 215 396
Email: artcaucasus@gmail.com

CULTURE: Bebbo - 20-year-old amateur introduced Georgian footwear to the world. By Lika Chigladze (georgianjournal.ge)

Bebbo should start again! 

(georgianjournal.ge) Get Bebbo. Keep your feet warm and preserve old Georgian tradition. This is the new creative campaign that offers handmade slippers with colorful patterns made from 100 percent natural wool. 20-year-old Zuka Alavidze, author of this project, is a Georgian citizen who is currently doing an undergraduate degree for Finance and Management at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Zuka’s creative idea to introduce Georgian culture to other nations and at the same time provide people with a pair of soft, warm, comfortable and colorful footwear has been met with great interest and positive feedback by locals as well as the international community. As a reminder, Alavidze posted a video of how to make traditional Bebbo slippers on Kickstarter, a special platform that helps entrepreneurs find the resources they needed to bring their ideas to life. At least £5,000 (about 18,000 GEL) should be raised by November 1, 2015, to carry out this project successfully. 

“I loved woolen slippers with varying patterns that my grandmother used to knit for me when I was a kid.”

In order to learn more about Bebbo, Georgian Journal contacted the founder of the project.

– How was the idea to create Bebbo born and what is the primary aim of the campaign?

– I loved woolen slippers with varying patterns that my grandmother used to knit for me when I was a kid. When I grew up, I always would take a few pairs of this footwear with me and present them to my foreign friends when travelling abroad. My foreign friends liked grandma’s handmade slippers so much that I decided to share the family tradition and comfort provided by this footwear to more people.

Around two years ago, I bought a hat from an English website. This online shop was quite interactive, allowing customers to choose the material, color and size to their taste. This gave me the idea to spread handmade footwear to the world using a similar website. However, I was far away from my country and pretty busy at the university back then, so I could not bring my plan to fruition.

“We decided to call the footwear Bebbo, since in Georgian it means grandmother and as a rule, bebos knit socks for their grandchildren.”

Eventually, I brought up this initiative in front of my friends. Entering a foreign market is not an easy task; a product requires branding, to begin with. After brainstorming for several days, we chose a cute sheep for a logo and we called it Bebbo, since in Georgian it means grandmother and as a rule, bebos knit socks for their grandchildren. I think we coped with the task and the final result turned out quite decent.

The primary aim is very simple: to allow more people learn about Georgia, its traditions and culture. For this purpose, the customers would be able to choose only from traditional colors and patterns offered on the website. Although this will limit the choice of colors and patterns, it will also help preserve the traditions and values that the knitted slippers from Tusheti (Georgia’s highland region, where many old handicraft traditions come from) possess and which are so important for us.

“A customer from any corner of the world will be able to purchase Bebbo, based on their preferred design and taste.”

– What are your plans in case you raise the money you require?

– If the necessary sum of money is accumulated by November 1st, we will start producing Bebbo slippers – those who backed us on Kickstarter will be on the top of the list, of course. In addition, we are working on our website, where customers from any corner of the world will be able to purchase Bebbo, based on their preferred design and taste. Most importantly, Bebbo will be produced in Georgia, by its local denizens, in order to maintain and transfer the handicraft tradition from generation to generation.

– How would you assess the interest and reaction received from public?

– To be honest, I could not have imagined that Bebbo would attract so much interest from both the people and the media. It makes me very happy. Despite the fact that we have not yet accumulated the required sum, we are extremely glad that the effort we put into this project has already been appreciated. We hope that we will manage raise the money we need on Kickstarter in order to introduce Bebbo to the entire world. Remember, we still need your support until November 1st – and are immensely grateful for it!

You can buy Bebbo here

Video: Buy handmade slippers Bebbo and preserve old Georgian tradition

Winter is coming and if you want your feet to stay warm, you have to get Bebbo – Georgian 100 percent natural woolen slippers.

A Georgian, Zuka Alavidze who presently resides in the United Kingdom decided to introduce traditional Georgian handmade footwear to the entire world and simultaneously preserve this unique tradition through launching his project.