To See a World in a Grain Sand – Irakli Bugiani’s Expo at National Gallery

The Georgian National Museum Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery opened the exhibition ‘To see a World in a Grain of Sand’ by Irakli Bugiani on October 6.

Irakli Bugiani is a Georgian artist who lives and works in Germany. This is his first solo exhibition in Georgia, bringing together his pivotal works.

The title of the exhibition is inspired by the poetry of William Blake. Irakli Bugiani's abstract paintings contain hints of representation that reveal the artist's attempts to accentuate unknown, mystical aspects of the universe.

Bugiani has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including Weltkunstzimmer, Hans-Peter-Zimmer Foundation, Dusseldorf (2015); RichMix, London (2015); Salon Des Amateurs, Dusseldorf (2014); and at the Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi (2013).

“I use canvas and oil which conveys the sense of unity in the universe. We chose the exhibition title accordingly,” the painter said.

The exhibition is organized by project ArtBeat which aims to promote contemporary Georgian art worldwide and to foster cultural activities within the country.

GEORGIA TODAY spoke to Nino Macharashvili, ArtBeat representative: “We support Georgian artists working in contemporary art to organize exhibitions inside and outside Georgia. We also have exhibitions abroad, at Saatchi Gallery for instance, as well as at Volta, a very important international art exhibition in Basel. We believe that our collaboration with Irakli Bugiani and the Georgian National Gallery has proved very successful.”

The curator of the exhibition is Tbilisi-born multimedia artist Levan Mindiashvili who lives and works in both New York and Tbilisi. In 2008-2012 while working at the Laguanacazul Gallery (Buenos Aires, Argentina) he organized several collaborative projects with local and international emerging artists. His current curatorial project includes ‘Heritage,’ first presented at the Georgian National Museum (2013) and later at RichMix, London (2015).

Mindiashvili shared his experience of Bugiani with GEORGIA TODAY: “I first connected with Irakli as a curator and artist in 2013 when I made the project ‘Heritage’ at the Museum of Fine Arts. Irakli is mainly interested in painting; its capacities, existing world experience and painting history. Our aim was to accentuate not so much the paintings as their physical essence, which becomes something of a sculpture. They are represented as statues, rather than pictorial flat bodies hanging on the walls.”

The project is supported by the Tbilisi City Hall Cultural Events Center.

Where: Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery, 11 Rustaveli Ave. Tbilisi, Georgia.

When: Until October 23

Tickets: GEL 5 for adults, GEL 1 for students, GEL 0.50 for children, free for the socially unprotected.

Maka Lomadze