Exhibition on Tbilisi’s Sister City, Bristol, England
Deputy Mayor, Sofio Khuntsaria, attended an exhibition in Tbilisi celebrating the 30th anniversary of the twinning of Bristol and Tbilisi. Khuntsaria was accompanies by the ambassador of Great Britain in Georgia, Mr. Justin McKenzie Smith.
The exhibition – "Unity is Diversity, Bristol & Tbilisi: 1988-2018" is on display at the Tbilisi History Museum and reflects the cultural, educational, civic relationship between the two cities over the last 30 years.
Khuntsaria addressed the guests gathered at the event and talked about the cultural relationship between cities.
“The friendship between Georgian and Bristol painters began in 1992 when, with the participation of eight Georgian painters, an exhibition titled HEAT & CONDUCT took place at Bristol's Arnolfini Gallery. Two years later, in 1994, with the guidance of British artists Bruce Allan and Antia Nicholson, six Bristol painters visited Tbilisi. That was followed by a joint exhibition of Georgian and British painters titled SILK Road on display at Karvasla. Since then, there have been a number of interesting exhibitions, which advanced the creation of a fruitful and successful cooperation between Georgian and Bristol painters,” said Khuntsaria.
The historical part of the exhibition presents photographs from various projects of the Bristol-Tbilisi twinning society and landscapes of the two cities. There is also a variety of artwork created from different media and materials, including photography, video-installations, sculptures, and paintings.
The main organizer of the exhibition is Nina Bendukidze, a Georgian resident of Bristol.
By Samantha Guthrie
Photo: Tbilisi City Hall