Tato Akhalkatsishvili (born 1979) is a Tbilisi based multimedia artist. In 1996-2003 he was enrolled at the Tbilisi State Aademy of Arts, Faculty of Fine Art. Along with the fine art drawings he also works on the production of installations, objects, collages and videos.
The main intellectual focus of Akhalkatsishvili’s work lies on the crossroads of history and personal memories. Childhood memories about a long disappeared country and historical collisions (conflicts) remain for the artist subject of permanent reflection and discussions.
Since 2000 Akhalkatsishvili actively participates in important international group exhibitions and art fairs such as: Start Art Fair (Saatchi Gallery, London, 2015), Cosmoscow (2016, 2018), Vienna Contemporary (2017), Art Geneva (2018), Art Dubai (2018). He was one of eleven international artists in Dubai back in 2018.
Two of his artworks were sold at the Philips auction in 2017, and a significant part of his creations are kept at the Museum of Fine Arts (Tbilisi, Georgia) and a variety of private collections.
In Tato Akhalkatsishvili’s practice, the five stages of dramatic structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement) pair with and find depth in the five senses.
Akhalkatsishvili tends to place viewers in the falling action stage; his paintings, assemblages, and works on paper frequently depict the moment right after the passing of a storm, literally and figuratively. By the time we wander into his landscapes, the worst of the weather has passed and the turbulence has tempered. With only a partial insight into the proceedings, our descent into his denouement is steep. The end is nigh, but it will likely be dark long before we arrive. Occasionally, darkness encroaches on the day; in a panoramic depiction of a winter forest with dueling crows, Akhalkatsishvili paints a heavenly body pausing before the sun.
Akhalkatsishvili’s portfolio is full of red flags that flash and fly in many forms. These fiery streaks connote the precariousness of inhabiting landscapes that are defined by extremes. Taking into account the artist’s affection for off-roading, it seems that, for him, extremes are not something to shy away from, but to pursue, seeking the intense buzz they can induce. As such, the stripes of red blaze trails and beckon us to venture forth.
