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Contemporary Art Archive - Tbilisi

Archive of Academic Writings

2021 Edition of the Project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia

Institute of Virginity

Video,Installation

Qeu Meparishvili

video installation
2019

It's not post-apocalyptic visions, it's a daily basis for me, my mother, and my sisters. Modern mythology, traditions, and rituals themselves choose age, gender, and nationality. From sci-fi dreams to Blockbuster films we followed. “Thou shalt not commit adultery“ From 10 Commandments became a selective system. 􀀀Online legends anonymously describe the oppressive nature of the "Institute of Virginity” tradition. A term that defends “female sanctity”, massively supports the oppression of female sexuality, puts a taboo on the act of sex and checks the sheets after the first wedding night. 􀀀Who decided that I am a sinner and made a law for me since my birth. The stigmatic pressure follows and unconsciously guides us day by day since and stops us from waking up. Its like a computer game with sexist algorithms. 􀀀􀀀Everybody had their own understanding of this place. In the old times, when a man married, the bride's parents were invited to the groom's family the next day. The father of the bride was met by the father-in-law with a bowl of wine. The guest would take the bowl and bless the newly created family. But if the bride wasn’t a virgin, The father of the groom would still greet the bride's father only in this case with a pierced bowl full of wine. In this case, the wine was held only by the forefinger of the Grooms father. So that when he passed the bowl it would splash and he would tell him that “your daughter turned out to be just like this bowl”. In some regions, this tradition remains to this day. 􀀀 though the bridegroom had to be finely detailed and hold only the finger of wine. When the bridegroom's father would take the platter to the host, the wine was poured, followed by the words: Your daughter was written like this platter. 􀀀The traditional education system is differently accustomed to men and women. Even at a young age, boys are allowed to do as they please, but for girls, there are many actions that fall under taboo subject to even talk about. One such topic is precisely the “institute of virginity”, which means a set of cultural rules that prohibit women from having sex before marriage. In Georgia, this topic was partially demolished when the quest for democracy began. Virginity is considered as an important moral asset in many cultures, including Georgia.