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Ezologia — Porous Body of Tbilisi
Exhibition

Ezologia — Porous Body of Tbilisi

26Jun25Sep
Tbilisi History Museum Tbilisi, Sioni Street #8
Ubani and NWDS invite you to the opening of the exhibition “Ezologia — Porous Body of Tbilisi” on June 26 at the Tbilisi History Museum.

The exhibition presents the first phase of an interdisciplinary research project on Tbilisian Courtyard initiated by NWDS and Ubani — Tbilisi Cityscape Research Center.

The research was developed with wit[h]nessing, studio2AM, art historian Tatia Gvineria, architect Natalia Vasadze, sociologist Mariam Jibuti, and other independent researchers working across urban history, heritage preservation, mapping, and urban analysis. The project also included contributions from young professionals who took part in the fieldwork mapping.

The exhibition features analytical maps, architectural research, graphic studies, archival documents, and video materials exploring the role of the typology of Tbilisian Courtyard in shaping the city’s urban fabric.

Photo essays by Berika Beridze, Nanka Dolidze and Gio Sumbadze were created specifically for the exhibition in spring 2026.

The exhibition also includes materials held in the funds of the Tbilisi History Museum, as well as videos produced by the students under the guidance of O’Brien Van der Steen Architecture Studio in 2018.

Exhibition details

Exhibition opening
Friday, June 26th 2026, 18:00-20:00
Exhibition duration
June 26th to September 25th, 2026
Address
Tbilisi History Museum, 8 Sioni St, Tbilisi
Opening hours
Everyday (except Mondays), 10:00-18:00
Entrance
Free on the exhibition opening day; museum admission fees apply on all other days

Curatorial essay

EZO (ეზო)
Ezo (ეზო) means courtyard. But the Tbilisian Ezo (sometimes referred to as an “Italian”¹) is a shared intermediate space found in historic Tbilisi, connecting several adjoining households into a single environment of everyday life.

POROSITY
Porosity² is the capacity of urban fabric to let life pass through it — movement, gaze, nature, human interaction. In a porous city, the boundaries between inside and outside, private and collective, building and landscape remain permeable. Porosity is defined not by the number of empty spaces, but by the nature of connections between them.

This exhibition is a public presentation of the first phase of an ongoing research project — one that our studio and a growing group of collaborators have been developing.

At the centre of this research is the traditional fabric of Tbilisi’s old neighbourhoods — not as a monument, but as a living system, a way of inhabiting space. The urban fabric that has shaped the Tbilisi we know and love, yet one that is gradually disappearing.

Steadily. Relentlessly. Korpusi³ after korpusi, parcel by parcel, a different city grows in place of this one. Each new volume bears little morphological relationship to what stood before it. What fades is not only the houses — it is a particular way of organising space: a balance between built and unbuilt, private and collective; between people, city, and landscape.

The existing heritage preservation framework is indeed capable of recognising the value of individual buildings. However, it is far less equipped to protect the value of urban fabric itself — of typology, morphology, spatial relationships. We are used to preserving objects made of stone and timber. But can the form of a void be preserved? A system of courtyards? A particular set of relationships between spaces?

We do not advocate for the conservation of entire city districts, nor do we believe this would be possible. We understand the forces that drive these transformations: market dynamics, development pressures, and residents’ aspirations for better living conditions. We do not see increasing density as a problem in itself. Urban densification is a natural part of a city’s development. The question is how it takes place. Is it possible to increase density without the replacement of existing urban fabric? To develop the city while retaining at least some of the spatial qualities that make it what it is

Before these questions can be answered, we need to make this fabric visible as a subject of attention in its own right. This is why we began studying this typology from multiple perspectives: through artistic observation, historical inquiry, architectural analysis, and fieldwork mapping.

The Tbilisian Ezo is significant not only in terms of local heritage typology. It represents a unique hybrid of different cultures, bringing together the Eastern courtyard and characteristics of its lifestyle, the Western urban logic of street-facing architecture, and a distinctly Georgian sensitivity to landscape and terrain. The result is a rare form of urban fabric — one that combines the interiority of the courtyard with a high degree of spatial permeability.

All of this makes Ezo not only an object of preservation, but a source of knowledge as well. Many cities today are consciously trying to cultivate qualities that in Tbilisi emerged organically over centuries: human-scale density, environmental responsiveness, and a subtle gradation between private, shared, and public spaces. Perhaps this is why studying these spaces matters not only for understanding Tbilisi’s past, but also for caring for the cities of the future.

Nata Tatunashvili, head of research, curator
¹Despite the name, the “Italian courtyard” has no confirmed connection to Italy. The folk term most likely refers not to architectural origins but to a way of life: open, vital, spontaneous, and shaped by constant everyday interaction between neighbours.

²The concept of urban porosity most often traced back to Walter Benjamin and Asja Lācis and their essay “Naples” (1925) — a portrait of the city’s architecture and street life that gave the term its first theoretical grounding. It is a curious coincidence that the same city whose spirit is echoed in the nickname “Italian courtyard” also inspired the concept through which we read Tbilisi’s urban fabric today.

³Korpusi (Georgian: კორპუსი) — the prevalent form of contemporary residential development in Tbilisi: a freestanding multi-storey concrete apartment block, typically without shared outdoor space or spatial connection to the surrounding urban fabric.

Project initiators
Ubani — Tbilisi Cityscape Research Center (Nata Tatunashvili, Ana Chorgolashvili, David Brodsky, Lia Gulbani, Nino Kevlishvili, Mariam Gabrichidze)
NWDS (Nata Tatunashvili, Aleksandre Gaprindashvili, Natia Katamadze, Olga Vakhrameeva, Ana Petriashvili, Alexander Kachalov, Salome Gabashvili)

Project collaborators
studio2AM (Annamaria Chelidze, Megi Davitidze)
wit[h]nessing (Tatuli Japoshvili, Tina Jelia, Giga Tsikarishvili)
Tatia Gvineria

Curatorial team
Ana Chorgolashvili (Archive and Research)
Natia Katamadze
Nata Tatunashvili

Exhibition design
Nata Tatunashvili, Olga Vakhrameeva (Varm)
Display table – David Brodsky

Authors of the texts
Ana Chorgolashvili, Tatia Gvineria, Mariam Jibuti, Anano Simonia, Nata Tatunashvili, Natalia Vasadze

Exhibition participants
Nina Akhobadze, Berika Beridze, David Brodksy, Annamaria Chelidze, Megi Davitidze, Nanka Dolidze, Aleksandre Gaprindashvili, Tatia Gvineria, Tatuli Japoshvili, Tina Jelia, Ana Petriashvili, Alexandra Sokolova, Gio Sumbadze, Giga Tsikarishvili, Olga Vakhrameeva (Varm), Natalia Vasadze

Workshop supervisors
Aleksandre Gaprindashvili, Ana Petriashvili

Workshop participants
Mariam Dzvelaia (Student at Georgian Technical University), Teona Kakhidze (Student at Free University of Tbilisi), Davit Kuraziani (College “10x” / Graduate of Georgian University), Salome Labuchidze (Student at Ilia State University), Lile Liparteliani (Student at Free University of Tbilisi), Anastasiia Margiti (Student at East European University), Tatia Tsikhelashvili (Graduate of Apollon Kutateladze Tbilisi State Academy of Art)

Archive – Tbilisi History Museum
Barbare (Varvara) Bebutova-Gabunia (1891-1971)
David Gvelesiani (1890–1949)
David Kakabadze (1889-1952)
Dimitri Kvirikashvili (1893–1962)
Nikoloz Nordman-Severov (1887-1957)
Vladimer Tsagareli (1894-1984)
Konstantin Zanis (1964-1947)

Translation
Elene Kobidze

Language and style editing
Lera Choobara, Elene Kobidze, Tea Tvalavadze

Exhibition technical team
Video editing – Nika Saralashvili
Exhibition set-up – Aleksandr Aleksandrov, Zurab Mikaberidze

Exhibition host and partner
Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi History Museum

Supported by
Tbilisi City Hall, Château Mukhrani

Special thanks to the National Archives of Georgia, Levan Kalandarishvili, and O’Brien Van der Steen architecture studio.

A multidisciplinary studio of architects, designers, curators, and researchers, established in 2013. Powered by female minds and operating internationally.The work of NWDS spans heritage transformation, residential developments, hotels, and museums across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.
A platform for transdisciplinary artistic research that nurtures cultural, social, and environmental ecologies to reinvent new ways of co-existing. With an open collaborative framework, it aims to incorporate perspectives concerned with expanding the concepts of subjectivity, aesthetics, and ethics at the intersections between art, architecture, and design.
A non-linear journey performing in the fields of Architecture, Design, and Research. 2AM explores the notion of space, materials, and objects. It reacts on the built environment, culture, traditions, needs, and present challenges. It focuses on re-thinking the realities, building prototypes, and researching the materials.
Georgian National Museum - Ioseb Grishashvili Tbilisi History Museum was founded in 1910. Since 1984 onwards, the Tbilisi History Museum has been located within the so-called “Tbileli’s” caravanserai building, having the status of the historical monument. The museum houses over fifty thousand artifacts: archeological, ethnological, archival materials, pieces of applied arts, photo-collection, artistic and graphic arts.

Participants

Nina Akhobadze Born in 1997 in Georgia, Akhobadze is a contemporary painter based in Vienna, Austria. She studied Painting and Graphic Arts at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts and is currently completing her degree at the University of Art and Design Linz. She has presented solo exhibitions in Vienna and Tbilisi and has exhibited at the Schlossmuseum Linz (2024) and Art Düsseldorf (2026).
Berika Beridze A biologist and photographer with a passion for science, visual storytelling, and creative exploration. Holding a PhD in Biology, his work combines research with a deep curiosity about nature and landscapes. A lifelong photography enthusiast, he is currently focusing on developing more serious and complete photographic projects. Outside academia, he enjoys writing, DIY projects, and pursuing ideas that connect science, creativity, and everyday life.
David Brodsky An architect and artist based in Tbilisi. He studied at IUAV University of Venice and has participated in several local and international projects and workshops. His architectural practice includes the design and renovation of residential buildings and living spaces, small-scale architectural installations, and exhibition design. He is a co-founder of Ubani and a visiting teacher at the Free University of Tbilisi.
Ana Chorgolashvili Art historian, curator, and editor based in Tbilisi. Ana is a co-founder of Ubani, where she shapes the organisation’s programmes with the team, integrating its public initiatives and research agenda. She is also a co-founder of Danarti Zine and Community Radio Tbilisi. In addition, Ani has been involved in numerous local and international projects, including the Tbilisi Architecture Map, INDEX, and others.
Annamaria Chelidze Born and based in Tbilisi, Georgia. Annamaria holds a degree in Architecture from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. She co-founded Studio 2AM with Megi Davitidze, an interdisciplinary practice working across architecture, design, and research. Alongside her professional work, she has taught at the Free University and contributes to urban research initiatives that explore the city and its evolving spatial narratives.
Megi Davitidze Completed a Bachelor of Architecture at ARCHIP, Prague, and a Master of Architecture and Art at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich. Megi co-founded studio2AM together with Annamaria Chelidze in 2023, where they focus on architecture, design, and research. An ongoing interest throughout her studies has been researching the urban layers and transformation of Tbilisi. She has taught at the Free University of Georgia and continues to contribute to various projects with Ubani, further researching Tbilisi.
Nanka Dolidze Born in Ukraine, Nanka studied photography at the Association of Photodocumentalists/Sepia Photo College in Tbilisi, Georgia, and FAMU Prague, Czech Republic. Her approach could be labelled as subjective documentary, which merges the record-keeping of traditional documentary work with the personal, emotional, and psychological interpretation of the photographer.
Aleksandre Gaprindashvili An architect with an academic background in architecture and five years of experience working at the NWDS multidisciplinary studio. At Ubani, he is a researcher involved in various initiatives, including exhibitions, workshops, digital cartography, and publishing projects. Aleksandre’s work extends into illustration and graphic design as complementary fields.
Tatia Gvineria An art critic and cultural heritage expert with over 20 years of experience. A PhD researcher at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, she specializes in historical settlements and buildings, contributing to heritage conservation, management, and planning projects in Georgia and international contexts.
Tatuli Japoshvili A visual culture researcher, curator, and transdisciplinary artist. Employing the atlas as a methodology for trans-historical mapping, her practice bridges feminist psychoanalysis and image theory to investigate the affective behaviour of archives and built environments. Through writing and curation, she articulates a feminine dimension of subjectivity to nurture new frameworks for being-with the world.
Tina Jelia A literary researcher and poet exploring the body as a confluence of traces and an epistemic agent that archives knowledge voided from dominant cultural frameworks. Both as a researcher and an author, she approaches poetry as an embodied practice that can disrupt calcified oppressive structures and help us attend to the mutual dependencies that bind all living beings.
Mariam Jibuti A researcher at the Institute for Social Studies and Analysis since 2019. She has gained experience within the scope of social, political, economic, education, culture research, and other specialized areas. Her research interests include issues of environment, urban planning, social welfare, and interpersonal communication. Currently, Mariam is working on her doctoral thesis, in which she explores the connections between neighborhood planning and the formation of social relationships.
Natia Katamadze A cultural practitioner and multidisciplinary professional working in the field of cultural and urban projects. Her professional experience spans cultural institutions, creative industries, and interdisciplinary initiatives, through which she has contributed to the creation and implementation of cultural and urban projects. Her areas of interest include urban culture, cultural heritage, and the relationship between people and the urban environment.
Gio Sumbadze A multimedia artist. He works in photography and has video works/installations. In addition, Sumbadze does graphic design. His artworks focus on architecture and the structure of nature as well as on architectural planning, which sometimes repeats shades of nature and even confronts them. As he says, his “artworks are typological documentations of space and time”. The artist takes feedback from who/what gets into his lens. This is the main source of inspiration for him.
Sasha Sokolova Landscape architect and urban resilience consultant based in Tbilisi, focused on nature-based solutions for water and climate management. Since 2022, she has run an independent practice collaborating on projects across Georgia and Armenia. A participatory design advocate and urban commoner, in recent years she has led a number of grassroots initiatives at Arsenali hill in Tbilisi.
Nata Tatunashvili An architect, designer, curator, and researcher based between Paris and Tbilisi. She is a co-founder of Ubani — Tbilisi Cityscape Research Center, as well as the founder of NWDS, a multidisciplinary architecture office powered by female minds; and Aea, an independent, bottom-up cultural initiative. Nata Tatunashvili brings 20+ years of architectural practice across cultural, residential, and hospitality projects.
Giga Tsikarishvili A multidisciplinary artist and architect. Merging material intervention with posthumanist theory, he researches the affective traces and ecological wounds left on landscapes by extractive forces. Through teaching and site-specific design, he challenges dominant urban and architectural practices. He seeks to heal nature-culture entanglements and foster deep, physical attunement with traumatised environments.
Olga Vakhrameeva (Varm) A London-based artist, architectural designer, and researcher. She holds an MA in Architecture and Urbanism from London Metropolitan University and works across visual art, architecture, curation, and exhibition design. Her drawings are held in private collections in the UK and internationally. Working at the intersection of conceptual art and paper architecture, her practice explores the communication of ideas through drawing, combining precision, fragility, and narrative.
Natalia Vasadze Originally from Tbilisi, Natalia is studying architecture at TU Graz, where she is currently completing her master's thesis. Beyond architecture as a discipline, she is interested in its artistic practice, research, history, and social dimensions. In addition to gaining professional experience through architectural studios in Austria, she is actively involved in several architectural communities and participates in research initiatives and exhibitions within the field.
Cover image © studio2AM

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