Author: Giorgi Pantsulaia Niko Nikoladze, a great Georgian public figure, thinker, and publicist, is celebrated […]

Author: Mariam Mebuke “ARS POETICA” “Here, memory hears the rustle of wings  And dreams darken […]

By Mikheil Kurdiani The moments preceding our speech belong to the past, while what occurs […]

Author: Nia Kuchava The first “Gviriloba” festival in Kutaisi, which derives its name from the […]

The last century left us with many interesting traditions, but one of the finest must be the gatherings of writers with their readers and the presentation of their creations. Old periodicals and the memoirs of contemporaries have preserved fascinating details of the great Georgian writer Vazha Pshavela’s trip to Western Georgia in 1913.

The story began on May 29, 1961. A large crowd from Kutaisi gathered on the left bank of the Rioni River, in Alexander Tsulukidze Square, adjacent to a newly constructed platform. They all watched a stretched cable, with its other end leading to a second station built in the Park of Culture and Leisure. Soon, a significant moment in the city’s recent history would unfold: two cable cars, filled with people, would move from the stations towards each other, floating above the wide channel of the Rioni River.

On June 26, 2024, one of the most significant events for Georgian and European football became an indelible part of collective and individual memory. A simple statement, in formal language, describing how the Georgian national team reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA European Championship, marked either the beginning or end of various adventures and stories for different people. It became a defining part of a larger narrative, a piece of the mosaic that skillfully connects and completes the whole picture. On this day, Kutaisi faced numerous challenges due to heavy rains, flooding, and electricity issues—problems that concerned the city. Yet, amidst these worries, one thought persisted in many minds: where and how to watch today’s game.

Interesting adventures begin unexpectedly. You don’t need to wander the “heart of the sea” for ten years after the war, witness the manifestations of gods living on Olympus, encounter “dark phantoms,” meet people who straddle the line between gods and men, study their characters, test yourself in various situations, and finally return home to be awaited by loved ones. Interesting stories often have unexpected beginnings. So, we decided to embark on a journey to Kutaisi, the city of white stones!

Being an artist on a real stage is hard work. Especially when neither the country nor the city, which has left important names in the complex but interesting history of painting, can be concealed. This time, the goal is to, on the one hand, remember the work of artists born in Kutaisi in the 20th century, and on the other hand, discuss the work of contemporary artists living in the city of Otskheli. This will either create or negate the contrast between them. The mention of Otskheli is not accidental, as he can be considered one of the main “predecessors,” and “guides.” The poetic attitude towards the external world and the dramatic relationship to depicted objects (as Ketevan Kintsurashvili writes) are so reflected in his painting that they have become a form of expression and have survived to this day.

“When I hear the name Valiko Mizandari, I think of a winter evening, of a tin stove, of the crackling firewood; the head of Michelangelo’s ‘David,’ portraits of Kutaisi locals — some in clay, some in stone, plaster, and some unfinished — and the endless stream of sweet stories, where the simple people of our city magically intertwine with the bohemians of Montmartre in Paris, the adventures of Alexander the Great, the pranks of the trickster Khariton (may he rest in peace!) The paintings, Rodin’s smile, hunting adventures in Kopitnari, human proportions — all accompanied by the seductive pink wine of Imereti, slowly pouring into my memories, causing a sweet pain to my heart with their uniqueness and the inevitability of dead moments…”