Embassy of Greece opens exhibition in Tbilisi MoMa
By Mariam Chanishvili
Tuesday, November 21
On the occasion of a 25-year anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Greece and Georgia, the exhibition was opened in Museum of Modern Arts in Tbilisi on November 17.
The event was held under the auspice of the Embassy of Greece in Georgia and attended by Embassy representatives along with the Ambassador of Greece, Dimitrios Karabalis, Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Minister of Justice of Georgia, Tea Tsulukiani and members of the Orthodox Church.
“Photographic Itinerary on Mount Athos 1969-2001” was inaugurated at the Benaki Museum in Athens in the summer of 2006. Since then, it has travelled all over the world and is presented for the first time in Georgia. It comprises 50 selected photographs that Kostas Balafas took during his trips to Mount Athos from 1969 to 2001. The photographer’s work was made possible by the valuable assistance of Brother Ioustinos Simonopetritis, a monk of the Holy Monastery of Simon Petras.
Costas Balafas is one of the greatest masters of photography in Greece and the leading Greek exponent of humanist photography in the post-war period. His photographs are a unique testimony of Greek history and society.
Beniaki Museum houses Greek works of art from pre-historical to modern times, an extensive collection of Asian art, it hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop. The Beniaki Museum curator also attended the event in Tbilisi.
What brings Greece and Georgia so close, for so many centuries, is the choice of Mount Athos, this unique place where the temporary and the human meet with the eternal and the Holy. At the same time, it is also a reminder of the contribution of Orthodoxy to shaping the Georgian and the Hellenic identities.
Dimitrios Karabalis delivered a speech and welcomed guests. He talked about the artist, Costas Balafas and how his work highlights aspects of the national identity. He thanked everyone for attending the event noting that “Georgia has always been a member of the European Family.” He especially thanked the sponsors and the organizer for their commitment.
“I hope next year we will return and highlight more different aspects as well,” stated Karabalis.
The event sponsors include VTB Bank, Georgia Industrial Group, Aegean Airlines, Hellenic Petroleum and Wissol Group.
The exhibition is open to public now.
