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Art that is punished

June 17, 2016
 
Kristine Pakhomov

Putting various inscriptions, paintings or symbols on the building facades, window-glasses, fences, columns and trees without the permission from the regulation body is violation of the law and is punishable with administrative fine.

Representatives of the architecture service at the Tbilisi City Hall state that change of color or façade materials of the buildings during rehabilitation and repair works of the building facades or roofs is regulated under Article 65 Paragraph I of the Resolution of the Government of Georgia. The client shall apply to the body authorized to issue permission on the construction (Architecture Service of the Tbilisi City Hall), which within 5 days term will notify compliance of the submitted documents with the regulation norms and allows the applicant to launch construction works.

Besides marketing campaign, you can see non-advertising, non-promotional paintings which are done mostly based on the request of the building residents.

Street painters think the law shall be amended with regard to stencils because vandal facts and art shall be differentiated while the latter is one of the ways to freedom of expression.

The painters recall facts when they had permission on stencils but after paintings were done they were erased.

“I doubt part of “intelligentsia” did not like our paintings and compelled the government to delete them. If the painting has resisting character then they are erased. However, more moderate paintings remain on the facades,” painter Lia Ukleba said.

Although street painting is violation of the law without permission, the number of paintings in the city proves that painters are not afraid to express their opinion. However, they face some problems too. Journalist Mariam Khuluzauri paints stencils since she was 12. Considering the fact that street art is punished by the law, she does not write her name on the paintings. Mariami said with this method, the painter can disclose her/his opinion to wider audience than it is possible in the galleries. 

“Initially everything started with easel and aquarelles but soon I realized that it was useless to paint on the canvass if nobody would see it. Initially I painted my own room at the age of 8. My parents were so excited that they kept inviting everybody to see my room. When I started painting stencils, it was a new trend in Georgia. I did not know that this action was punishable under the Georgian law. I painted first stencil on the school façade with slogan – No Future. The school director punished me and made my parents to paint the wall to hide the stencil. Next stencil was done in the city center during midday. Patrol police officers said I was a criminal and was punished. Due to the abovementioned facts I, as a street artist, have to paint stencils at night when everybody is sleeping. Street is my gallery,” Mariam Khuluzauri said.

Khuluzauri said she often finds photos of her paintings in social networks when unknown people share them on their walls. The painter said her art is illegal in Georgia though it does not scare but restricts her.

Lawyer of Human Rights Center Eka Lomidze said violation of the administrative law may turn into a criminal offence if the building has a status of cultural heritage. In similar case, the painter may be held responsible under the criminal law, Article 257.

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