Mariam Eliava

Mariam Eliava (b. 2001, Tbilisi, Georgia) is a visual artist working primarily in painting, with a focus on portraiture and the human figure. She graduated in 2024 from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Painting. She has also studied in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Her practice explores painting through different materials and approaches, with an emphasis on process, surface, and experimentation. Working intuitively, she is interested in how images emerge through memory, emotion, and material interaction. Her work balances expression and restraint, often leaving traces of process visible within the image.

She has participated in international exhibitions, residencies, and collaborative projects. She lives and works in Tbilisi.

Artist Statement

My practice is rooted in painting, with a focus on portraiture and the human figure. I am drawn to people I observe in everyday life, yet the figures in my work are never direct representations of specific individuals. Instead, they emerge from memory, emotion, and fragments of experience.

I am interested in how faces and bodies can carry psychological states rather than fixed identities. My approach is intuitive and often raw, balancing expression with quietness.

Experimentation is central to my process. I work across different approaches and materials, allowing each piece to develop its own logic. Layers, imperfections, and traces of process remain visible within the work.

I aim to leave space for ambiguity and interpretation, allowing the viewer to complete the image, where figures exist between memory and imagination rather than conclusion.

Exhibitions

2026- Tuta Gallery – Group Exhibition

2026 -Collective Exhibition, Plus One (+1) Space

2025 - International Contemporary Art Exhibition, ARTISTERIUM 18

2025- Sighnagi Art Festival

2023 - Group Exhibition “ALLES IST NICHT SO WEIT WEG”, Dresden, Germany

2023 -Palais Sommer Festival, Dresden, Germany

2022- Group Exhibition “Art Academy Students”, MoMA Tbilisi

2022- Student Exhibition “Climate Change and Art”, Tbilisi State Academy of Arts

Residencies

2025 - Creative Residency, Moulin Jaune (studio practice and research in art libraries)