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.
Inspired by the infamous surrealist game, The Exquisite Corpse Cocktail marinates together suspense and the unconscious with a strong possibility of failure and monstrously bad taste. Together with the guests, Prvački will attempt to create a contemporary and timely cocktail to forecast the trends and flavours of our day. This endeavor will be based on trust and imagination. We invite you to be brave and not afraid of death, for this challenge is not for the weak of spirits and we shall toast and look at the spirit in the mouth!
The performance is developed in collaboration with Gonçalo de Sousa Monteiro from BUCK & BRECK, a legendary cocktail bar in the heart of East Berlin.
TAMADA is realised in collaboration with KW Institute for Contemporary Art Berlin.