Tracing Absences: H2SO4 and the Vision of the Georgian Circus

Mari Kalabegashvili

Stage design drawing by Irakli Gamrekeli (a member of the H2SO4 collective)
Wikimedia / Public Domain

Portrait of Nikoloz Shengelaia and his article about the circus in H2SO4 magazine
National Archives of Georgia

H2SO4, 1924 edition

Photos of a performance by Georgian circus performers from the magazine "Soviet Circus," August 1958

In collaboration with EastEast publication, we introduce an essay by Georgian multimedia artist Mari Kalabegashvili about the idea of establishing a “Georgian Circus” meant to break down the barriers between art, cultural events, and daily life. This concept was developed in 1924 by film director Nikoloz Shengelaia, a member of the radical art collective H2SO4.

The text was part of Mari Kalabegashvili's performance “Tracing Absence” in the framework of Slavs and Tatars residency program. The residency and event were supported by IFA. The text is part of a series in collaboration between EastEast and Pickle Bar, in the framework of Pickle Bar’s public programs and editorial platform.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Mari Kalabegashvili is multimedia visual artist and cultural practitioner based in Georgia. Her research-based practice draws from collaborative and interdisciplinary knowledge-sharing processes and works with the given environment to pose the question of what happens after “ever after”. Apart from her individual praxis, she is currently involved with the Parallel Class Project creating alternative educational initiatives for high school students in Georgia.

EastEast is an online and print publication on culture, art, philosophy, and everyday life. It is produced in collaboration with authors and artists from West Asia, North Africa, Eastern Europe, the North and South Caucasus, Central Asia, East and Southeast Asia, and beyond. (EE) is an initiative of Caravane Earth – a foundation that promotes social, cultural, and ecological transformation.