Demolition Of Tbilisi Arts Complex Sparks Protests

(MENAFN- USA Art News) An arts complex in Tbilisi, Georgia, is currently being demolished, despite protests from its architects and some local community members. The Rike Park Music Theatre and Exhibition Hall, also known as Rike Tubes, began demolition in late July, following approval from Tbilisi's city government in June. Work is scheduled for completion by December.

Reuters reported the news after Civil Georgia published a photo-essay documenting the destruction of the complex and another landmark, a Brutalist former flour mill called Silo. The Rike Tubes consist of two interconnected glass-and-steel structures designed by Fuksas Studio, an Italian architectural firm led by architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas.

Constructed between 2004 and 2012, during the final years of the United National Movement (UNM) rule, the complex's contemporary design symbolized the pro-Western stance of UNM leader Mikhail Saakashvili. The site, which reportedly cost about 75 million lari ($29 million US) in public funds, never officially opened. The current governing party came to power in 2012. The 108,000-square-foot site was privatized, and its current owner, Rike Dom, a subsidiary of Maqro Property, plans to construct a hotel there, though specific details have not been released.

Both the public and the architectural community have criticized the Rike Tubes for altering the historic character of Tbilisi's old town. Some had advocated for relocating the structures rather than demolishing them. Protests, including offers from the architects to help repurpose the complex, have not halted the demolition. Attention now shifts to what will replace the complex.

Source: ARTnews

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