In the turbulent global context following the fall of the Russian Empire and the October Revolution, Georgia declared its independence in 1918. Between then and the beginning of Soviet rule in 1921, an Avant-Garde creative scene burgeoned. Artists met, mainly in the many taverns and cafes in Kutaisi and the capital Tbilisi, to organise multidisciplinary events. Their frequent collaborations and interactions, which bore the imprint of Georgian tradition and Western and Eastern influences, took various forms: paintings, drawings, films, photos, performances and typographical experiments. Divergent movements such as Symbolism/Neo-Symbolism, Futurism, Dadaism, Zaum, Expressionism, Cubism and Cubo-Futurism existed side by side in unprecedented creative turbulence.

This book tells the unknown story of a vibrant Avant-Garde in the Caucasus, born in the taverns of Tbilisi - artistic laboratories where anything was possible, but where Soviet censorship lurked.

Extensively illustrated with works by Elene Akhvlediani, Gigo Gabashvili, Irakli Gamrekeli, Lado Gudiashvili, David Kakabadze, Petre Otskheli, Niko Pirosmanashvili, Ilia and Kirile Zdanevich, and many others.

Book Information
ISBN 9789464666632
Author Nana Kipiani
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Cannibal/Hannibal Publishers
Publisher Cannibal/Hannibal Publishers
Weight(grams) 1685g