BAIA GALLERY

During the 2025–2026 exhibition season, Baia Gallery will present a retrospective of Merab Abramishvili, titled Transparent Memory.  In conjunction with the exhibition, the gallery has published a new catalog devoted to the artist and reissued its 2016 publication, Inaccessible Gardens. Furthermore, an official website and accompanying  digital project have been launched to complement the retrospective.

Since its establishment in 1992, Baia Gallery has represented Merab Abramishvili, having organized five solo exhibitions of his work. His paintings have also been included in numerous group exhibitions and form part of the gallery’s permanent collections. The gallery continues to research Abramishvili’s cultural legacy, documenting previously unknown works held in collections both in Georgian and internationally.

In parallel with Baia Gallery’s project, the Cultural Center “Atinati” will host an exhibition titled Merab Abramishvili – The Collector’s Choice, showcasing 40 works from the Atinati collection. This collaboration is significant both as an example of institutional support  and as recognition of the growing collectibility and market value of the artist’s work—an appreciation also reflected in the steadily rising prominence of Abramishvili’s artworks on the international art market since 2013–2014, when Baia Gallery first presented them at Sotheby’s London exhibition At the Crossroads.

Merab Abramishvili (born March 16, 1957; died July 22, 2006, in Tbilisi) was a Georgian artist, a member of “The Generation of the 80s,” who, at the end of the 20^th century, elevated Georgian art to a new level within postmodernist culture, as well as a modern interpreter of medieval Georgian wall and icon painting techniques. In the post-Soviet period he revived the traditions of Georgian religious painting and established a contemporary model, continuing to contribute to the creation of a synergy between Eastern and Western cultures in Georgian art, remaining both traditional and modern at the same time.

The main themes of Merab Abramishvili’s work center on the concept of life’s eternity, expressed through a religious model of perceiving the universe, shaped by personal perspective and defined by the historical events of the period in which he lived.

The concept of life governs all the motifs in his work, encompassing both its mundane and otherworldly dimensions: the model of the universe, the iconography of images, and the unity of details. In the artist’s paintings, everything connects to the reservoir of life, conveying a narrative of the regularities, transformations, vibrations, and impulses that arise from it and shape its many interpretations.

Abramishvili’s works conjure the impression of traversing a realm of living substance: we find ourselves in the Garden of Eden, walking through groves of olive and pomegranate trees, wandering among rows of rosehips, sunflowers, ferns, and palms, and becoming entangled in a jungle of roots and branches. We journey through a fantastical environment, accompanied by birds of paradise, peacocks, deer, and owls. Through a kind of seductive magic, the artist introduces us to this strange world—one that feels eerily familiar, as if we have visited it once before. These are dreams, futuristic visions, labyrinths of memory…

This is the universe, a place where all creations are sacrosanct, their existence determined by a single value system rather than a hierarchy. Here, life triumphs over death, transforming the setting into the abode of fairy tales, myths, ancient legends, and bygone heroes. The repeated mantra of these sensations is affirmed in every work: I was here, and I will return.

Baia Tsikoridze

The Project  proudly supported by Aldagi
We are honored to support one of the most significant cultural events in Georgia — the major exhibition dedicated to Merab Abramishvili. As the first private insurance company in Georgia, Aldagi has always stood behind cultural initiatives that inspire and shape the country’s social and creative landscape. It is especially noteworthy that this marks the first time in Georgia a full exhibition collection of such scale has been comprehensively insured — a responsibility Aldagi proudly undertook. We developed a tailored insurance solution designed specifically to protect the unique value and delicate nature of cultural heritage. 

We are proud to help make this exhibition possible and accessible to everyone who wishes to explore the extraordinary legacy of Merab Abramishvili.

Giorgi Baratashvili

CEO, Aldagi