Bio

Born in Tbilissi, Georgia, Merab's attraction to painting started very early. At the age of 10 he already knew he wanted to be a painter.  After completing his studies at the Tbilissi State Academy of Arts, he moved to Belgium to further his Arts studies at La Cambre Academy first, and then at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.

Due to historical family ties, Merab spends his whole youth and childhood in Georgia with artists. By the age of 25 Merab does nothing else but follow his passion. He participates in various group exhibitions and has his first solo show in 1993.  

His style has evolved with time. From very traditional motives and patterns his painting has undergone radical changes both in its spiritual as in its physical conception.  In synch with time and space, he has added a new dimension to his works in the form of handmade acrylic figurines. This addition has allowed the artist to push further the technical boundaries imposed by his art and add both a new 3D dimension to his paintings and a way to play with the shadows created by the figurines, sculpted on the canvas. According to Merab, shadows shape, provoke tensions, disturb tonalities and give depths that would otherwise be missed.  

Merab currently lives in Brussels with his wife and son. 

QUOTE

In the shadow, we are free to be what we are

"Some artists use lights to illustrate feelings. I decided to position myself in the colour of the shadow. Despite the darkness of the reflections,  the eyes brighten  when grabbed by the artwork. Indeed, in this blackness that comes with an element, I pay no attention to its origin, to its language, to the colour of its skin, or even to a place, but I do express the fact that, in the shadow, we are all free to be what we are"

Dans l’ombre, nous sommes tous libres d’être ce que nous sommes

"Certains artistes se sont appuyés sur les lumières pour faire ressortir des sentiments. Moi, j’ai décidé de m’installer dans la couleur de l’ombre. Malgré la noirceur des reflets, les yeux, agrippés aux œuvres s’éclaircissent. Effectivement, dans cette noirceur qui accompagne un élément, je ne fais pas attention à son origine, à sa langue, à la couleur de sa peau ou même à un endroit, mais j’exprime le fait que, dans l’ombre, nous sommes tous libres d’être ce que nous sommes."