meeting will be held in English

The georgian government and broader patriarchal structures have a history of opposing LGBTQ+ rights, often reinforcing homophobic attitudes within society. In response, queer culture in Georgia has developed various forms of artistic resistance, challenging both the government and the entrenched patriarchal norms. In this talk, David Apakidze will explore how queer art serves as a powerful medium of resistance in a patriarchal and conservative culture, highlighting the intersection of identity, art, and activism.

Taming the Garden (2021) is a documentary film directed by Salomé Jashi. It was nominated for the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The film documents the extreme lengths that Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia's former prime minister and the world's 349th richest billionaire, goes to acquire trees for the construction of the Shekvetili Dendrological Park, an arboretum on his estate on the coast of the Black Sea.

Taming the Garden (2021)
Directed by Salomé Jashi
Produced by Vadim Jendreyko, Erik Winker, Martin Roelly, Salomé Jashi
Release date 2021
Countries Switzerland, Germany, Georgia
Languages: Georgian, English subtitles

David Apakidze is a visual artist, curator, art historian and researcher. Co-creator of the Fungus Project, a Caucasia-based queer art platform, and Fungus Gallery. In his artistic research, he explores contemporary culture as it relates to their identity. He studied Art History at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. The course put an emphasis on medieval Orthodox art, which greatly influenced his artistic perspective. Much of his work revolves around queering georgian orthodox imagery, as he seeks to uncover queer codes within georgian culture.