Art Dubai 2021

Presented artists: Irakli Bugiani and Maia Naveriani

For Art Dubai 2021 Gallery Artbeat is proud to present a group show by Maia Naveriani and Irakli Bugiani.    

Group exhibition combines two Georgian artists’ graphic and oil paintings, which use different expressive forms and offers subjective interpretation of visual language. Presented exhibition can be seen as interplay between two various generations of painters in context of dialogue by referring their own subject experiences and thus creating new artistic discourses. 

Maia Naveriani’s visual forms are fragmented, constructed with signs, phrases, symbols and different references, which ultimately merges together as unified text. It describes us daily life and structure of contemporary culture. Maia Naveriani operates by method of decoding and deciphers definite cultural codes. Her visual depiction generally in forms of its symbolics and various signs reveals close links to patriarchal culture, which we can interpret as her attempt of visual language deconstruction. 

On the other hand, Irakli Bugiani who works in canvas creates contrastic forms by his expressive language – strong brush strokes are forming abstract shapes and blends them in vivid colors of blue, black, pink and green… Behind those abstract shapes it can be traced hidden messages. For example, on the surface of painting, which is covered by indifined various layers can be observed hidden and invisible shapes in forms of architectural buildings or unidentiable objects. The unified form of separated elements like symbols and metaphors are reconstructed as iconic signs, which creates new painterly world. In many in these abstract forms, disorderly painted colors or in hidden layers is manifested social and political events, which once was unseparated part of real and tangible life. 

Irakli Bugiani mainly works in painting. He also refers to the techniques of collage. For the pictures he uses old and new photos, texts about the events happening around him for example in social, scientific, political situations. The process itself and its visibility on the canvas is very important for the artist. His works depict interiors and exteriors of architecture empty of human presence. The abstract imagery composed with rough strokes of oil on canvas leave an impression of the yet unfinished work in process. The artist deliberately leaves fragments of working process on the canvas as if the artworks are endless. The impressionistic 'unfinished' seascapes, washed out portraits and collages of fragmented imagery compose the exploration into the boundaries of fiction and historical fact of one's memory.

Selected solo and group exhibitions:
2018 - Project ArtBeat gallery, “Nowhere to Run”, 2017 - Moving Gallery by Project ArtBeat gallery, "Blue Tunel", installation, Telavi, Georgia, 2016-The Georgian National Museum Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery- “To see a World in a Grain of Sand” Tbilisi, Georgia; 2015 - Heritage, RICHMIX Arts Centre, London, UK; 2014 -Crossing the boundaries, AT388, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2013 - Kunstpreis Junger Westen 2013, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Recklinghausen, Germany; 2012 - Post Coitum Omne Animal Triste Est, Damenundherren e.V., Dusseldorf, Germany; 2011 - Zwischen Gestern und Morgen, Gallery 10, Karlsruhe, Germany.

Maia Naveriani studied under Gia Edzgeveradze before completing her formal training at the Academy of Fine Arts, Tbilisi. Having moved to London, in 1989, she was nominated by Annely Juda Fine Art for the the Vordemberger Gildewart Foundation international prize in 1999, which she won.

Since then she has taken part in numerous solo and group exhibitions in both public and commercial spaces including Fordham Gallery, Danielle Arnaud Gallery, London; Neues Kunstforum, Cologne; Museum Wiesbaden; Museum Bochum; Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund; Netwerk, Aalst; Cirius Art Centre, Cork; Leonard Hutton Galleries, New York and CoBra museum, Amsterdam. She also became a member of the group Everything is Alright founded by Gia Edzgeveradze, taking part in many performances in public spaces including Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin, Museum Bochum, Bochum and Museum Kunst Palatz, Dusseldorf. Maia Naveriani is represented in Germany by Galerie Voss, Dusseldorf.
The artist lives and works in Tbilisi and London.