Contemporary Artists revive Stories of Batumi Courtyards

Contemporary artists from Georgia and abroad have been trying to transform the old courtyards of the Georgian seaside city of Batumi into a gallery.

The “Batumi Backyard Stories” is a grassroots cultural initiative that brings together artists and citizens to explore and co-create the hidden histories that exist within any neighbourhood in the city.

The project, in its fourth year, aims to focus on bringing to light the most poignant personal narratives and cultural legacies of Batumi residents and promote contemporary art with installations and performances held in neighbourhood courtyards.

Through the local inhabitants’ storytelling, artists are hoping to revive unique stories of the old, historic courtyards.

Eight Georgian and six international modern artists from the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal and Poland have been working on the project since August 6th. The artists are living with local people in the area and have been interviewing families living within the courtyard block, discovering their cultural legacies and using them to create a customised art installation and performance event.

“This is a social project. The main concept of this project is human, society. Interdisciplinary artists have been working closely with the neighbourhood residents of the Noe Jordania Street to learn what the local families believe are their most precious cultural legacies – their histories, personal stories, daily practices and customs,” Manager of the project Mariam Natroshvili said.

One of the most important elements of the project is education that will help build the local cultural infrastructure: a critical dimension that envisages portfolio presentations of all the participants and master-classes, lectures by the international artists on the ways that art and life can merge within socially engaged art and community art practices

People in Batumi have their last chance to come and see the modern art installation, inspired by the residents, today.

Partners of the project include: Eastern Partnership Civil Society Platform For Culture, Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Batumi City hall and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Adjara Autonomous Republic.

Photo by Jan Chudozhilov.

Tamar Svanidze