Ketevan Varshanidze

Ketevan Varshanidze was born in Batumi in 1995. In 2017, she graduated from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. After completing her studies, she took a break for several years; however, for the past four years she has been actively painting and participating in exhibitions. She currently lives and works in Tbilisi.

Artist Statement

At this stage, oil paint feels like the most organic and compatible medium for me. At the same time, I work across different materials and often create sketches using mixed media. Recently, I’ve become particularly interested in textiles, and I am experimenting with combining textile and traditional painting into a single object. This process is new to me, multilayered and exploratory — it allows me to expand my visual thinking in different directions. In my paintings, empty spaces, flat surfaces, architectural forms, rigid pavilions, monumental walls, and still pools frequently appear. These elements create scenes that feel detached from time — almost frozen — like staged environments where space and condition are more important than action. The main concept of my work comes from the environment and visual experiences I grew up with. The sea and the coastline have become central motifs for me — they

form a kind of axis around which a large part of my work is constructed. I also work on a series of portraits focused on intense human emotions. Of particular importance is the “Laughter Series,” where laughter often takes on an unsettling and ambiguous quality — at times evoking fear, irritation, or even aggression. The central idea of this series is cynicism, understood as an integral part of existence. A cynicism directed both at oneself and at the absurd reality in which humans have lived for centuries. For me, criticism and doubt are essential tools for thinking and development. Self-criticism and the constant act of questioning are fundamental to my creative process; without them, growth and the formation of new perspectives would not be possible.

Exhibitions

• 2022_ group exhibition at dissolution gallery, Tbilisi

• 2024_tbilisi art fear, (dissolution gallery)

• 2024_ group exhibition, „summer chronicls“ at art gallery „novo“, tbilisi.

• 2025_ group exhibition, “re-action“ at art gallery „novo“, tbilisi

• 2025_ group exhibition, „shared distance“, at identica, tbilisi.

• 2026_ solo exhibition „easy“, at „cube in context“, tbilisi.

• 2026- group exhibition, "salon I" at identica, tbilisi.