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A brand new exhibition has hit =
Tbilisi this=20
week. Since its start on November 12, the Tbilisi =
History=20
Museum Karvasla has been displaying photo/installation =
works=20
of eight artists from Europe, who have dedicated their =
recent=20
work to the global problem of migration.
Close to Home is a touring =
photography=20
exhibition, brought to Georgia by a collaboration of =
the=20
Georgian National Museum and British Council Georgia. =
Among=20
many photo exhibitions currently running in Tbilisi, =
it is the=20
only one offering something beyond pure aesthetic =
pleasure.=20
The theme of Close to Home is migration, whose =
hardships have=20
equally affected developing and developed countries =
all over=20
the world. The exhibition aims to bring out the =
anguish of=20
migrant communities in their attempts to adapt to new=20
landscapes and evolve within new social structures. =
Close to=20
Home has visited London in March and has started its =
tour=20
across Eastern Europe by visiting Georgia.
=93The society of every country =
showed similar=20
interest in the exhibition. The outstanding thing =
about=20
Georgia is that young art lovers dominate the =
visitors, which=20
is very unusual for an artistic event this deep and =
serious. I=20
think it shows how much migration has affected this =
country in=20
general,=94 said Kaur Hargiet, curator of the touring=20
exhibition, to Georgia Today.
Close to Home counts eight artists =
that=20
present their lens-based work. Each of them shows the =
physical=20
and psychological struggle of migrants from and to =
their=20
countries. Exhibition consists of six photo stories =
and two=20
video installations. The story that attracted most =
visitors on=20
the opening was one created by Irish photographer =
David=20
Creedon. His =93Ghosts of the Faithful Departed=94 =
reflects the=20
product of the immense migration Ireland suffered in =
the late=20
forties. Unlike other artists, Creedon presents the =
images of=20
objects left by migrants, which provoke a sense of =
loss and=20
reminiscence in visitors=92 hearts. According to the =
artist=20
himself, =93the dream of every migrant is to return =
home. They=20
dream of things and people they left and at this point =
even=20
useless objects make their heart ache and this is =
exactly what=20
I try to express in my work.=94
Other artists from Cyprus, Bosnia =
&=20
Herzegovina, Turkey, Armenia and Wales mainly focused =
on=20
scenes from the everyday lives of refugees. The =
underlying aim=20
of the exhibition, to show off the negative side of =
migration,=20
was clearly seen in their work. Georgian society is =
almost fed=20
up with images of people choking in poverty and living =
in=20
unbelievably harsh conditions. However, apart from =
disgust and=20
pity, the photos of Close to Home arouse pleasure =
through=20
their beauty and excellent photography. This is =
exactly where=20
the power of art showed itself off, it outlaws =
negative=20
notions by means of positive senses.
The exhibition will run in Karvasla =
until=20
November 25. The visitors can enjoy it everyday except =
Monday.=20
=93Georgian National Museum has collaborated with =
British=20
Council for a while now. We chose to bring Close to =
Home to=20
Georgia, because ever since the events of August, =
forced=20
displacement has become a problematic subject to our =
society,=20
and we hope to show that the subject is challenging =
the whole=20
world. This will give these people a sense that they =
are not=20
alone in this,=94 explained Maia Kutateladze, the =
curator of=20
Georgian National Museum.
Tako Chikhradze
14.11.2008![](3D"http://www.georgiatoday.ge/images/spacer.gif"=20){kind=spacer}
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