Georgia will present the project Modern Argonauts – Crossroads of Georgia at the national pavilion of the 61st Venice Biennale, bringing contemporary Georgian artistic practice to one of the world’s most influential cultural events.
According to the Georgian Ministry of Culture, the exhibition combines visual works created with modern techniques alongside interpretations of traditional artistic forms, exploring Georgia’s historical role as a cultural crossroads between Europe and Asia. The title references the ancient Greek myth of the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece — a legend connected to ancient Colchis, located in present-day western Georgia.
The Ministry says the pavilion aims to connect contemporary artistic expression with longstanding Georgian traditions, craft and symbolism through multimedia installations, visual art and experimental formats centered on themes of movement, memory and cultural exchange.
The 61st Venice Biennale will run from May 9 to November 22 under the main theme In Minor Keys, focusing on fragility, intimacy and quieter narratives in contemporary art. National pavilions from around the world are expected to address social, political and cultural questions through a wide range of artistic media.
Georgia has participated in the Venice Biennale since the 1990s and has increasingly gained international visibility through its contemporary art scene. Previous Georgian pavilions have attracted global attention, including Vajiko Chachkhiani’s 2017 installation featuring a slowly deteriorating wooden house exposed to artificial rain, and Anna K.E.’s 2019 multimedia project exploring movement, space and memory.
This year’s Biennale has also become one of the most politically contentious in recent memory, with protests and artist boycotts surrounding the participation of several countries amid ongoing international conflicts. Against that backdrop, Georgia’s pavilion is expected to emphasize cultural identity and historical continuity through a dialogue between traditional motifs and contemporary artistic language.
