“Kolkheti”

Location: Kutaisi, Georgia

Completed: 1985

Artist: Bernard Nebieridze 

Alternative names: Green Market, “Colchis”

Genre: Soviet relief, former USSR

Kolkheti (pre-Hellenistic Greco-Roman name), or more commonly Colchis (an exonym), was a prehistoric region that dates back to the 17th century BCE. Centred on the Black Sea coast and associated with the Argonauts, Colchis is often viewed as the origins of the nation of Georgia. The monumental artwork was created in a studio by Georgian artist, Bernard ‘Franz’ Nebieridzeby, between 1980 and 1985. Nebieridzeby passed away in 1987 and, due to the efforts of his family and local government officials, the bas relief was erected on the side of Green Market in 1995.