SOLO EXHIBITION, OPENING RUSSIAN … AND GEORGIAN … ART WEEK LONDON 2019

in partnership with RUSSIAN ART & CULTURE

My chief goal is to transform the mundane and the realistic into something special and elevated. (Mamuka Dideba)

One of the oldest cultures in Europe and Central Asia, Georgia is a land of inspiration, diversity, and artistic mastery. It is the home of Mamuka Dideba.

The art of Dideba, who is dubbed "Georgia's Bruegel", brings joy through a unique expression of the wonder, the subtle humour, and the warm and often surreal philosophical outlook that is quintessentially Georgian.

A master of figurative and abstract, Dideba paints in exquisite Renaissance-era imprimatura technique that lights up the paintings from within - a process that requires enormous skill.

Inspired by the Old Masters and Georgia's rich history, Dideba explores beauty through vivid characters whose unconventional forms and faces convey their essence with gentle humour.  The whimsical background and clothing of the figures incorporate elements of Dideba’s abstracted works, acting as an unconscious bridge between the genres.

His abstracted paintings lure deep inside their magical and irresistibly contemplative worlds through an ingenious interplay of light and colour. It is possible to “walk” for hours through their imperceptibly changing shades.

Born in 1968 in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, Dideba studied at the prestigious Nikoladze School of Art and the Tbilisi State Art Academy. Dideba is known as “Georgia's Bruegel” because of his deviation from realistic proportions and interest in human behaviour.

1 - 6 June 2019, Shapero Rare Books, Modern Art Gallery, 32 St. George St., Mayfair, London W1S 2EA