Almost a century ago, one of the members of the radical collective H2SO4, film director Nikoloz Shengelaia, published an article that laid the foundation for the idea of establishing a circus “by denying its common boulevard understanding” as a completely hitherto unknown cultural framework. The initiative's main goal was to encourage mass action, while its main charm was in depicting the dynamics of the local environment and native narratives without being distanced from them. As part of the Slavs and Tatars residency program, the body of work of two distinct artists - Mari Kalabegashvili in collaboration with dancer, choreographer, and circus performer Fabian Krestel, is bound together with the concept and the use of circus elements for an open engagement with the spectators, who take an active part in the happening. The event held at Pickle Bar Berlin explores the utilization of "primitive cultural elements" related to the circus as a new artistic platform, as described by the Dadaistic manifesto from 1924 in Georgia.

Mari Kalabegashvili’s residency and event is supported by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) 
Image courtesy: Pickle Bar Berlin, Monika Karczmarczyk

Tracing Absences (reading), May 2024, Pickle Bar Berlin

Tracing Absences (performance), May 2024, Pickle Bar Berlin

Tracing Absences (performance), May 2024, Pickle Bar Berlin

Tracing Absences (image prints on cakes), May 2024, Pickle Bar Berlin

Tracing Absences (image prints on cakes), May 2024, Pickle Bar Berlin

image prints on cakes, February 2024, similar motif at ARD Art Institution in Cairo