Vernissage Gallery

Vernissage Gallery to participate in Tbilisi Art Fair 2026.

Group presentation features works by Vakhtang (Vati) Davitashvili, Sergo Parajanov and Avto Varazi.

Temo Japaridze: Portrait on view at the gallery space in conjunction with the fair

Vernissage Gallery is pleased to participate in the fourth edition of Tbilisi Art Fair, opening May 21, 2025, with a
presentation of paintings, works on paper, collages, and archival materials by a group of nonconformist artists.
The presentation is centered on the artistic trajectory of Vakhtang (Vati) Davitashvili and the milieu of his studio in
Telavi. The works on view are diverse responses to the constraints of their time, a condition encapsulated in the
exhibition’s title: They Saw Dreams, Unlike Yours.
Vakhtang (Vati) Davitashvili (1946–2000), a singularly independent nonconformist artist of distinctly original vision,
will be represented by several works from his Purmarili series, alongside landscapes and photographic
documentation of his renowned studio in Telavi.
‘Vati Davitashvili was introduced to the world of art by Sergo Parajanov and, naturally, was influenced by the great
master and the underground artists gathered around him. At that time, Davitashvili was enrolled at the Kiev School
of Aviation. After returning to Georgia, he worked in Avto Varazi’s studio.
Davitashvili’s studio in Telavi is an archive of nonconformist art. It preserves photos, posters and inscriptions that
tell the long story of the movement in a compelling way, placing the viewer in the center of those events.’*
Avto Varazi (1926–1977) will be represented by two key works- Woman with Disheveled Hair (1971) and Public Paper
(1972). Held in private collections, these works are presented here under the auspices of Vernissage Gallery.
The exhibition also includes works and photographic material of Sergo Parajanov (1924–1990), drawn from private
collections.
Presented for the first time from the archive of Vati Davitashvili is a personal letter from the renowned Russian
nonconformist artist Evgeny Rukhin (1943–1976). This document offers insight into the networks and exchanges
that connected nonconformist artists of the period.
As part of the TAF 2026 programme, the exhibition space of Vernissage Gallery (36 Shota Rustaveli Avenue) will
host Portrait, an exhibition of works by Temo Japaridze (1937–2012)