Tbilisi Art Fair (TAF) this year will provide an opportunity to promote contemporary product design in Georgia as one of the directions of industrial design. An exhibition of the Georgian product design will open at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA Tbilisi) and will run through 19th of May.
The exhibition is oganised under the Design Georgia brand with support from Enterprise Georgia, an agency under the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, the European Union and German Government via GIZ project and Georgian Furniture Cluster. TAF provides the best setting for showcasing Georgian contemporary product design as it focuses on the vibrant emerging art scenes in the regions of Black, Caspian and Baltic Seas and brings together collectors, curators, art professionals from around the world.
In Georgia, product design is developing in line with world trends, however, there is a need to raise awareness of this artistic form and have it recognized as such by a wider Georgian art community. “By means of displaying the products of Georgian designers, we aim at promoting establishment and further development of this direction within the contemporary design. This exhibition will help us in launching an annual platform that will showcase Georgian product designers and will stimulate their artistic development.” - says Keta Buachidze, Manager of Georgian Furniture Cluster. Participating designers include four members of the Georgian Furniture Cluster, as well as other designers, whose works have been selected through the competition - 16 designers and design studios in total. The competition was organised by Enterprise Georgia in collaboration with the Georgian Furniture Cluster and the works of applicants were selected by a special jury consisting of local and international experts in the area.
Design Georgia will present product design of limited-edition pieces grouped in thematic exhibition, where one can find wide range of products made by Georgian designers. Here furniture, lightning and accessories represent the synthesis of design and modern arts. The aim of the exhibition is to position product design as a reference point for galleries and collectors. Georgian interior and product design are currently on the rise, gaining more international recognition. This is second exhibition of Georgian designers under Design Georgia brand, which was first launched by Enterprise Georgia, with support from the EU, earlier this year at prestigious Passagen Interior Design Week, Germany’s largest annual design event.
Since 2014 Enterprise Georgia has been one of the first state agencies working to improve business environment, develop private sector, promote Georgia’s investment climate and exports. In order to provide for dynamic economic development, the agency combines three components, three interconnected layers of economic development: business support (local production), export promotion and investments.
"SME Development and DCFTA in Georgia” project assists Georgian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become more competitive and adapt to the new regulatory environment created under the EU Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA). The project is part of European Union's EU4Business Initiative, which brings together all EU programmes assisting SME and private sector development in Georgia. EU4Business enables the private sector to take advantage of the opportunities offered by DCFTA, which gives Georgia access to a common market of 500 million consumers. Find more: www.eu4business.eu.
Georgian Furniture Cluster unites 40 Georgian designers and furniture producers. It was established with support of the "SME Development and DCFTA in Georgia" project, which is financed by the European Union and German government and implemented by GIZ. The purpose of the cluster is to help individual entrepreneurs and companies overcome challenges through joining their efforts and resources, to bring furniture and interior designs from Georgia to Europe and beyond.
