On December 3, the Consulate of Georgia in the Philippines, led by Consul (a.h.) Thelmo Cunanan Jr., organized and held a successful poetry and mural painting demonstration at the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The demonstration was the culminating event of the “Colors of Hope” exhibition organized by Consul Cunanan, in partnership with officials of the Georgian National Museum led by Professor David Lordkipanidze and Professor Lela Tsitsuashvili. The event featured the work of master painter and visual artist Pancho Piano, the first Filipino artist to formally exhibit his paintings in Georgia and the Caucasus.
The event, which was attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic and consular corps, media, and arts and poetry enthusiasts, was a resounding success and was covered by Georgian print and broadcast media.
Staged in main exhibition of hall of the museum, the demonstration, which lasted for an hour, was a unique arts collaboration between famous Georgian poet Barcel La Shinski and Mr. Piano, with Mr. La Shinski delivering a series of poems and Mr. Piano interpreting the meaning on canvass. The result was a beautiful art masterpiece.
“This is truly a historic event in Philippines – Georgia relations. We Filipinos are a happy and optimistic people. We believe that hope springs eternal and we see sunshine even in the midst of adversity. Through the “Colors of Hope” exhibition, we wanted to share these values with our Georgian brothers and sisters,” said Consul Cunanan in his remarks after the performance. “Through these two arts masters, we have shown that we can unite the world and move society forward,using arts as a means for social change.”
“I want to congratulate the organizers of this event for the beautiful performance this afternoon. Through this event, we can see that arts knows no borders and that it can bring peoples closer together. I look forward to more Philippine cultural exchanges at the Georgian National Museum,” said Professor Lordkipanidze. “Congratulations to Barcel and Mr. Piano for an amazing performance,” added Dr. Tsitsuashvili.
“This is just the start of our collaboration in Georgia. Consul Cunanan has done a tremendous job and I look forward to working with him to bring more exhibitions to Georgia,” said Philippine Honorary Consul General Teimuraz Chichinadze.
The painting, along with a multimedia presentation of the poetry-mural painting event, will be on display in Manila in May 2015, at a Philippine – Georgian art exhibition that Consul Cunanan is organizing, in cooperation with several major academic institutions. The “Colors of Hope” exhibition was made possible through the kind assistance of Qatar Airways, the delegation’s official carrier, which generously provided additional cargo allowance for the transport of the paintings and art materials for the event.
