Launch of Investigation Against Artist Sandro Sulaberidze Sparks Protest

On 4 February, the artist Sandro Sulaberidze removed his own work from the exhibition “Self-Portrait by the Mirror” at the National Gallery, leaving in its place the words written in paint on a wall: “Art is alive and independent”. The Ministry of the Interior opened an investigation into the incident on the grounds of theft, which was met with protests from cultural workers and some members of the public. The demonstrators condemned the “repression” against the artist and called for the investigation to be reopened.

What exactly is the Ministry of Internal Affairs investigating?

The Ministry of Internal Affairs opened an investigation into the incident at the National Gallery on 4 February under Article 177, Part 2, Subparagraph “a” of the Georgian Criminal Code, which deals with theft “resulting in significant damage” and is punishable by house arrest for 1 to 2 years or imprisonment for 3 to 5 years.

Protests outside the National Gallery

In solidarity with the artist, Sandro Sulaberidze’s supporters gathered on Rustaveli avenue in front of the National Gallery on February 12. Among them were representatives of the cultural sphere, activists, and the general public.

In parallel with the protest, the gathered supporters collected signatures for the reclassification of the investigation case against Sulaberidze on the charge of theft, which will be submitted to the MIF tomorrow, February 14. The signatures were attached to the supporters’ statement, in which they underlined that the artist had not touched the works of other artists and had not damaged anything, and that “the context of the text is a broad and philosophical slogan and does not offend or humiliate anyone”.

The launch of the investigation let some artists believe that the gesture by Sulaberidze was perceived as a protest against the current Minister of Culture, Tea Tsulukiani, who has recently been repeatedly accused of “repression” and “persecution of critical opinion.” For example, film critic Teo Khatiashvili told  the publication “Netgazeti”: “I protest once again police-like policy in art, which is particularly evident in the ministry of Tea Tsulukiani.”

A large number of law enforcement officers were mobilized at the site of the protest. Yesterday, the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, took to her social media do addres the heavy police presence and asking– “20 police cars in the backyard of the Blue Gallery. Does the artist pose such a threat to the state???? “This reminds us of a different era and brings shame to Georgia”- she added.

During the protest, an incident occurred between law enforcement officers and activist Nata Peradze resulting in damage to Peradze’s nose. According to the activist, the officers confronted her because she had unused paints in her bag. “There was physical violence… they suddenly attacked me, my lip hurts, my nose is bleeding.”- Peradze told journalists.

Statements from the Representatives of Art Field and PEN Center Georgia

Ahead of the protests, the representatives of the art filed also issued a statement calling for the case brought against the artist to be re-classified. In the statement, they also stressed that the case should be resolved directly through negotiations between the artist and the gallery administration.

They also stated that the artist “did not harm anyone” and his action “can be discussed through the lens of artistic actionism and the format of happenings,” and that the evaluation “falls within the competence of the artistic sphere and is not a violation of the law.”

The authors of the statement supported the freedom of expression and noted that “restriction of freedom is a characteristic of totalitarian regimes.” The non-governmental organization PEN Center Georgia (PEN Georgia)” also defended the same right in its statement, signed by some 90 artists. The statement argues that “launching a criminal investigation against the artist for his own work […] in its essence, is an action typical of Putin’s Russia and makes it clear that the Minister of Culture, Tea Tsulukiani, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri, act with principles and values that are incompatible with the state of Georgia.”

According to PEN Georgia “the aim of this ‘repressive arrest’ is to threaten other Georgian artists, which is “incompatible with the values of Georgia, as a European state, and contradicts the country’s constitution.”

PEN Georgia believes that “the Minister of Culture is incompetent and is deliberately destroying the institutions created as a result of the decades of hard work by artists, scientists, cultural managers, and in general, supporters of culture; she is damaging artistic processes and deliberately trying to place Georgia in cultural isolation, which, in turn, threatens the national security of the country.”

Response from the Director of the National Gallery

On 12 February, the director of the National Gallery, Matsatso Gabunia, responded to the protests happening in solidarity with Sandro Sulaberidze on her social media and describing the artist’s actions as “infantile malice” and saying that “many people have already suffered” because of Sulaberidze’s “performance” and “innocent act,” referring to the dismissal of the exhibition curators.

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