We cordially invite you to ‘Supra of Her Own’ – an exhibition about gender-based violence against women in Georgia. From October 18th until October 30th, 2014, at the Contemporary Art Space in Batumi, we offer a reflection about the social invisibility of women’s painful experiences and propose new possibilities of making it public. 

Supra of Her Own is a collaboration between an artist - Tamuna Chabashvili (Georgia/Netherlands), an anthropologist - Agnieszka Dudrak (Poland/Switzerland), a Georgian NGO (Anti-Violence Network of Georgia), and a grassroots initiative გესმით ქალის ხმა?! .

In patriarchal societies, many women’s experiences remain invisible, hidden, taboo, or even nameless. This exhibition will become a temporary, open space, resembling Virginia Woolf’s a Room of One’s Own, where diverse testimonies of abuse will become visible and open for interpretation and discussion. 

Inspired by the traditional Georgian dinner – a supra – we will place on our metaphorical table that which is generally banned from the table – stories of women who experienced gender-based violence. Our project conceives of our supra as something more than a male-dominated and suppressive performance of social norms. For us, supra can be an improvised performance where deep, personal feelings can be expressed publicly in an atmosphere of hope, of laughter, of creativity and freedom. Using the supra with all its normative and subversive potential as a metaphorical platform will allow us to make the invisible visible, and raise awareness of the ways in which many of us conspire in the process of silencing of some women’s experiences. 

The installation and videos are based on the quotations from interviews; mostly survivors of domestic abuse. In addition, women who experienced this type of violence, some members of the grassroots initiative “გესმით ქალის ხმა?” created memorabilia and wrote fairy tales based on their personal experience. In this way we wish to give voice to those who are generally silenced. 

The opening ceremony on October 18th will host the documentary film “ობიექტი 8” made by Beka Tsiqarishvili and Vato Jorkoshvili;( Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC)), Georgia. The film tackles the problem of female homelessness in Georgia. 

Project initiated by: Tamar Chabashvili, Agnieszka Dudrak

Supra installation by: Tamar Chabashvili

Video by: Agnieszka Dudrak

Sound installations by: Agnieszka Dudrak, Eliza Proszczuk

Project is kindly supported by: Mondriaan Fund (The Netherlands), South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation (Georgia)

Opening ceremony: Friday, 18 October at 17h

Film screening: Friday, 18 October at 18h

Location: Contemporary Art Space (1/5 Gamsakhurdia str. Batumi)

Duration: October 18th – October 30th

Source (visuals, text) from the Gallery's Facebook page.