On the commission of Europalia Georgia, the Belgian artist of Georgian origin, Meggi Rustamova (born in 1985), has created a video triptych titled “Deda Ena,” which is currently being showcased at Bozar in Brussels. “Deda Ena,” meaning “native language” in Georgian, takes us on a journey through the Georgian language and memories. This enigmatic term refers to an alphabet book for children written by Lakob Gogebashvili in 1876. Rustamova-Adeishvili dives into the Georgian language, relying on her own copy of this book. She relearns this forgotten language (Meggi was born in Tbilisi but immigrated to Belgium at the age of 8), reestablishing her connection with it, and thus engaging in a dialogue with people who have their own unique relationships with the language and a sense of belonging to the home land.
2023, Brussels, Bozar