Installation

Research phase of Pirimze started in 2011 and lasted untill 2005, when the documentary was completed. During this period, Pirimze was shown at several exhibitions in various stages of its development. Wallpaper was made and the booth was built. Below you can see the list of exhibitions, as well as photographs from these shows. This installation is not a static piece and it changes from location to location, depending on the space and general development of the project.

March 24 - May 29, 2016

Pirimze part of “Aesthetics of Repair in Contemporary Georgia” at “Tartu Art Museum,” Estonia
Curator: Marika Agu

Pirimze was presented in three parts - film, installation and book at the "Tartu Art Museum" in Estonia. 

November 6 -16, 2015
Pirimze at the 8th annual international contemporary art exhibition "Artisterium," Karvasla, Tbilisi, Georgia

Pirimze booth, designed and built in the style of old Pirimze, was shown at Karvasla Museum. Documentary was shown on an old TV screen placed in the booth.

Photo by Guram Tsibakhashvili

Photo by Guram Tsibakhashvili

Photo by Guram Tsibakhashvili

October 21-25, 2015
Rustaveli Cinema, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Pirimze booth was built and installed during CineDoc documentary film festival, in the foyer of Rustaveli Cinema.

Photo by Anka Gujabidze

May 9 - June 9, 2012

Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York, NY

Pirimze as part of group exhibition "Crosstime Stories" curated by Ceren Erdem

A wall piece with 7 channel video installation was created for this show. This installation connected the research about Pirimze with the personal story of the artist.

About the exhibition: “Crosstime Stories” offers a provocative exploration of post-1989 history with work by a young generation of artists from three major "blocs"—Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, China, and the Middle East. The tensions of the Cold War era in the '80s and the critical breaking point of 1989 and its aftermath was a history shared by each of the artists in the exhibition. The works on view focused on their individual memories and how these shape their understanding of contemporary life.

Read more about the exhibition:

December 22- 25, 2011

Rented shop on Pirimze territory, Tbilisi, Georgia

Exhibition, info centre and lecture series

One of the empty spaces in the neighbourhood of former Pirimze was turned into an exhibition/ info centre. All the material found during the research phase, together with artworks created especially for this show, were displayed. The visitors could see architectural sketches of old and new Pirimze; photos and videos of more then 10 of smaller shops that emerged, bearing the same name Pirimze, scattered in the surroundings of old Pirimze; information about the location and photographs of old Pirimze from the architectural books and newspapers; drawings of the construction made during the transition from old to new Pirimze; photos and video collages made by former workers; as well as TV reportages and newspapers covering the fight of old workers and unfairness of new owners.

In the framework of this exhibition, architect Levan Asabashvili organised lecture series connected to the topic of Pirimze:

“Architecture as result and definer of social processes”, speaker Levan Asabashvili, architect; 

“Collective effort - good case scenario”, meeting with dentist Nana Mumlauri, whose colleagues were able to keep their workspaces after privatisation. 

“Argentina Worker Cooperatives – Industrias Recuperadas”, exert from the film about Argentinean Aluminum factory, in which the workers were able to occupy the factory where they worked and are collectively running it. 

“Collective and post-Soviet reality”, speaker Zviad Avaliani, political studies.

Interview with Sophia Tabatadze by Nattan Guliashvili