A fragile layer of TbilisiMosaics that hold the city's memory before they're gone

“Mosaics of Tbilisi” shows the mosaics that exist in the city right now: on factory facades, by metro stations, on the end walls of apartment blocks. Most people in Tbilisi walk past them every day without noticing. The project gathers them in one place so they do not go unnoticed and so they are easy to find on a walk.

In the 1960s–1980s mosaics were a common part of decorating public buildings in Georgia. That is why there are so many of them in the city, and they are everywhere. Famous artists worked on the large pieces, for example Zurab Tsereteli and Malkhaz Gorgadze.

Georgian mosaics are often far from what is usually considered the art of that era. Instead of poster symbolism, the authors took Georgian legends, Rustaveli’s poetry, winemaking and folk ornament, and some of the panels are entirely abstract. People in Tbilisi have their own way of relating to the mosaics: one panel is called “fried eggs with tomatoes”, another “Siroja’s Dreams”.

Many of these works are under threat. Mosaics are not considered cultural monuments and are barely documented anywhere. Buildings change owners, windows are cut into panels, doors and gates are installed, and some mosaics have already disappeared. On the site every mosaic has a status: preserved, damaged or demolished, and a video that shows it up close.