Revisiting Transition: Cultural Production of the 1990s in Georgia

On Saturday, October 17, Mint, Stockholm and E.A Shared Space, Tbilisi present a programme exploring experimental and underground art practices in Georgia during the turbulent years surrounding the collapse of the Soviet Union. Against the backdrop of profound social and political upheaval, underground performance art became a space for imagining alternative forms of collective life and socio-political movements amid the transition.

Art historian and curator Vija Skangale, will present her research into performance practices from the 1980s and 1990s. Through archival images and examples of artists’ work, she will  explore how artists navigated the social and political crises of the period: from the collapse of the USSR and the December 1991 coup to the Georgian Civil War (1991–1993).

Photographer Guram Tsibakhashvili will present his photographic archive, showcasing the  artistic life in Georgia during the period. Followed by a screening of artist Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze’s film Graft Versus Host (2026), a speculative documentary essay connecting the filmmaker’s medical history with post-Cold War geopolitical shifts and their impact on contemporary politics. Curator Elene Abashidze will give concluding remarks.

The same day, Mint opens an exhibition of works by Guram Tsibakhashvili, curated by Elene Abashidze.

A collaboration between Mint, Stockholm, and E.A Shared Space, Tbilisi.

With support from Helge Ax:son Johnsons stiftelse and Längmanska kulturfonden.

Revisiting Transition: Cultural Production of the 1990s in Georgia is presented by Mint. More information:

Image: Analog photo from 1994 by Guram Tsibakhashvili