Queer deities in migration

»Queer deities in migration« brings a Georgian artist duo with the primary goal of supporting queer individuals relocated from the South Caucasus region to Europe due to the issues because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The project aims to establish links between their personal histories and the characteristics and similarities of corresponding deities.

Queer deities in migration by Uta Bekaia and Dato Koridze
contributors: Uta Bekaia, Pari Banu Asgar
video work: Dato Koridze
curation: Giorgi Rodionov
coordination: Thomas Dumke

Queer deities in migration

»Queer deities in migration« brings a Georgian artist duo with the primary goal of supporting queer individuals relocated from the South Caucasus region to Europe due to the issues because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The project aims to establish links between their personal histories and the characteristics and similarities of corresponding deities.

»Queer deities in migration« is urging audiences to reflect on the role of cultural memory in our daily struggles. Through the intersection of performance, personal stories, and ancient mythology, the performance piece becomes a living canvas, a dynamic exploration of queer migrants’ resilience and transformation.

The performance with Azerbaijani artist Pari Banu Asgar during the Pavilion Cross-Occupancies event by Fundació Mies van der Rohe is the opening part of the nomadic art project, that will be hosted by different cities around Europe with the testament to the transformative power, uniting queer artists from the South Caucasus in exile.

Queer deities in migration by Uta Bekaia and Dato Koridze
contributors: Uta Bekaia, Pari Banu Asgar
video work: Dato Koridze
curation: Giorgi Rodionov
coordination: Thomas Dumke

Manifesto

We are the Gods,
We have always existed, defying attempts to erase our divinity.
Now is the moment when our visibility matters.
We demand to be seen, for our existence is a radiant inspiration to
our sisters and brothers on Earth.
Once revered as deities in ancient times, we were cruelly
suppressed by patriarchal fear.
But now, we reclaim our rightful place in consciousness, resurging
with an unwavering spirit.
Let us create a safe space, where queer deities shape our
narrative, transcending the confines of gender perception and
embracing the vastness of sexuality.
We defy the societal structures that have imposed binary thinking
upon us, remnants of an unfair world inebriated by toxic masculinity.
Together, we shall tap into the divine wisdom that flows through us,
granting us unparalleled insight.
Liberation beckons us forward, urging us to dismantle the chains of fear.

BIOGRAFIES

Uta Bekaia is a Georgian-born multimedia artist currently based in Brooklyn and Tbilisi. His artistic practice revolves around the speculative recreation of ancestral rituals, reimagined for a Queer utopian future. Drawing inspiration from traditional crafts, Bekaia creates elaborate wearable sculptures, ceramics, tapestries, and objects, which are assembled into immersive installations, films, and live performances. Bekaia pursued his education in Industrial Design at Tbilisi Mtsire Academy. Throughout his career, he has received prestigious residencies at ART OMI, Museum of Art and Design (MAD) in New York, and Garikula in Georgia. His works have been exhibited at notable venues including the Window Project in Tbilisi, SchauFenster in Berlin, Museum of Modern Art in Tbilisi, Biennial in Istanbul and Kyiv, ERTI Gallery in Tbilisi, Silk Museum in Tbilisi, The Lodge Gallery in New York, Marisa Newman project in New York and the Center for Contemporary Art in Batumi, among others. [ https://utabekaia.com ]

Dato Koridze is a Tbilisi based artist. He is the author of a number of projects talking about social inequality, minority rights or communities' approach to different suppressive topics. He is also a winner of many international festivals. Dato Koridze’s photo projects appeared in different world’s influential publishings. For now he is a part of the team of Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty’s Tbilisi office. He continues working on his personal projects. [ https://datokoridze.com ]

Giorgi Rodionov is an artist and a curator. Having grown up in a post-Soviet country his interest in social structures and identities grew a lot. Most of Giorgi’s works are based on his researches that are later transformed into curatorial work, installation, performance, participator art, book or other different mediums.

In early 2019, Giorgi established an art space Untitled Tbilisi, that aims to bring artists from the South Caucasus together to use art as one of the main tools for promoting human rights and social justice in the region.

He is also the member of »90x collective« that unites four artists from Georgia rethinking about the changes Georgia went through and still is going through after the collapse of the Soviet Union. [ www.giorgirodionov.com ]

Nomadic: Space 1

Queer Deities in Migration
at Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Barcelona

From February 17 to 20, 2024
Artistic Intervention in the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Barcelona

Together with other European partner organizations, the Mies van der Rohe Foundation has invited the CYNETART platform for an artistic intervention in the Barcelona Pavilion.

Pavelló Mies van der Rohe
(Av. Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 7)

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