THE EMBROIDERED KHEBERI Ajarian Women’s Heritage Between Myth and Contemporary

ირმა შარიქაძე

On May 18, in celebration of International Museum Day, the State Silk Museum opened a temporary exhibition realized in collaboration with visual artist Irma Sharikadze. The exhibition, titled "Embroidered Kheberi" (in the Adjarian dialect, kheberi means "story"), presents the archetypal and aesthetic layers of Adjarian embroidery in a multimedia format.

The exposition showcases the creative heritage of Adjarian women through the artist's personal perspective. For the first time, the museum displays its collection of embroidery, which features hand-stitched ornamental designs on silk and cotton fabrics. These include unique plant and geometric motifs, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures, and symbolic representations of the Tree of Life and its guardians, linked to ancient fertility cults and Adjarian mythological beliefs.

The exhibition will also present photographic documentation by Irma Sharikadze, capturing women from the highland regions of Ajara, alongside a film and a photo installation featuring costumes designed by Irma De Flore, inspired by traditional Ajarian Embroidery. The exhibition opening will be marked by a special performance featuring acclaimed contemporary ballet soloists Nina Gogua and Natia Bunturi.

Concept

Ajarian embroidery is a unique form of traditional Georgian handicraft that, over the centuries, became an inseparable part of the daily lives of women living in the highlands of Ajara (southwestern part of Georgia). The exhibition title references the word Kheberi—an expression from the Ajarian dialect meaning “story” and presents the creative heritage of Ajarian women through the personal lens of visual artist Irma Sharikadze in a multimedia format.

The embroidery collection is being exhibited in the museum space for the first time and brings together hand-stitched ornaments on silk and cotton fabrics. The ornamental forms and symbols feature unique floral and geometric motifs, along with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures, and includes symbolic representations of the Tree of Life and its guardians, associated with archaic fertility cults. The visual language of embroidery reveals the woman’s role in preserving the dowry tradition and transmitting cultural memory — forming a unique code that carries the layered identity of Ajara. In 2020, Ajarian embroidery was inscribed as an element of Intangible Cultural Heritage, officially recognized as a monument of cultural significance.

An essential part of the exhibition is Irma Sharikadze’s new photo installation “Flower Power” (2025), as well as the photographic documentation and documentary film captured during the artist’s expeditions to the highlands of Adjara between 2019 and 2022, portraying the everyday lives of Ajarian women through the artist’s interpretation. Temporarily integrated into the museum’s permanent exhibition is an installation by Irma De Flore, whose design transforms the traditional aesthetics of embroidery into a contemporary visual format.