TAMADA: Shalva Nikvashvili, 11 September 2020, 6 PM

The three-day opening program, in collaboration with the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, will revisit the Georgian rituals of the Tamada, inviting the artists Selin Davasse, Shalva Nikvashvili, and Ana Prvački to each hold court over the course of a day, on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of September. The iconic character of the Tamada is well known for toast making, oratorical flourishes, and tolerance for alcohol. Typically, the Master or Mistress of Ceremony of a Georgian meal, the Tamada weaves memory, notions of nationhood, and hospitality into liquid libations. Pickle Bar invites each artist to reconsider these and more, through drink and discourse in an intimate setting suited for our fluid times. During the chamber drinking ritual, guests will be offered a selection of fermented drinks and bites, in addition to the sharp tongue of a Tamada guiding them through the afternoon and evening.

Shalva Nikvashvili presented a new video work, a queer interpretation of the Tamada phenomena. The second part of the performance included traditional toast making ceremonies enacting different symbolic cultural rituals: whether a horn as common cup, specially designed headpieces to galvanise the iconic and mythical character of Tamada, celebration of femininity to take over the master of the ceremony, or traditional Georgian snacks prepared by the artist himself.

Shalva Nikvashvili lives and works in Germany. Nikvashvili’s practice looks at identity issues through transgressive takes on idiosyncrasy and classical portraiture.