GELA MIKAVA
Born 1995, Tbilisi, Georgia
Lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia
GELA MIKAVA is a Georgian multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersection of personal memory, cultural identity, and collective emotion through figurative abstraction. Drawing from his architectural education and a lived experience shaped by displacement, MIKAVA constructs emotionally resonant compositions that merge chaotic human forms with symbolic material motifs.
His paintings oscillate between raw vulnerability and quiet confrontation, often incorporating fragmented bodies, layered textures, and textual elements that function as both visual anchors and poetic intrusions. MIKAVA’s approach to figuration is deeply psychological—his forms emerge not from observation but from internal states, memory distortions, and socio-political tensions.
A recurring theme in his practice is the negotiation between visibility and silence, particularly in series like The Bijouterie, which critiques societal obsessions with wealth and ornamentation, and We Will Go Home, a deeply personal meditation on exile, homeland, and resilience rooted in his family’s history as refugees from Abkhazia.
MIKAVA has exhibited internationally and continues to gain recognition as a rising voice in contemporary painting. His work speaks across borders, inviting viewers into emotional spaces where personal and political histories intertwine.
Education
B.A. and M.A. in Architecture, Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi
Selected Series
The Bijouterie – On material obsession and identity through ornament
Street Dogs – On social neglect and fragile survival
Roots (Wurzeln) – Re-evaluating tradition in a globalized world
We Will Go Home – A personal response to displacement and the idea of return
Carnivores and Herbivores – A dual-world allegory of conflict and coexistenc
