A Conversation with Georgian Painter Mariam Chijavadze
Exclusive Interview
The works of the talented Georgian painter Mariam Chijavadze are currently on display at the Gamrekeli Gallery, whose owners welcomed her second solo exhibition which is set to close after a successful run, this weekend.
Chijavadze comes from a family of painters and graduated the Tbilisi Academy of Arts. She has worked as a theater stage painter, a book illustrator and in animation.
“I do a little bit of everything as I’m always searching for myself,” she says. “Right now, I’m mainly working on painting, but I would like to try sculpture as well.”
In her paintings, she delivers her emotions and brings to life characters that are deeply human. GEORGIA TODAY met her to find out more.
What does painting allow you to express?
Painting is a special and easy way to express what I want to say. I paint men and women in conflict with themselves. I’m interested in expressing emotions, and first of all, my own emotions; what I feel deep within myself.
I think that human emotions are shared by everyone. What I feel is also felt by other people. Every human being has problems and conflicts within life that are impossible to express verbally, and painting is the best way to express them.
Does creating art make you feel better?
Yes, art helps me in my everyday life because it enables me to express myself and free myself. I only paint when I know exactly what I want to paint. If I don’t have a precise idea of what I want to express, I just don’t do it.
Do you consider yourself an optimistic or a pessimistic?
I would say realist. I express everything, positive things as well as darker emotions. I let other people judge my art, I just portray what I feel.
What is the purpose of this exhibition?
The purpose of my art is to be free like a bird [her current exhibition is called “Bird”].
I always try to be myself and find what I really am. I don’t want to be under the influence of other painters or people or of society. I paint my emotions. Putting too much thought into what other people might think of my work bothers me. I paint myself for myself: I paint my attitudes towards the world.
I think that people who come and see my artworks read my message and can find themselves in my paintings. Everyone can recognize themselves in my work, and if some Georgians don’t understand what I do, then maybe some Spanish people will. In the end, we are all the same.
Why did you choose a bird as the title of your exhibition?
My favourite painting is named “Bird;” it shows a man carrying a bird in his hands and I think it is quite symbolic.
The exhibition is on at the Gamrekeli Gallery until Sunday.
Entrance: FREE
WHERE: 14 Ingorokva St., Tbilisi.
OPEN: Daily, 12 AM to 7 PM.
Instagram: m.chijavaze
By Gabrielle Colchen
Image Source: The Gamrekeli Gallery