David Kukhalashvili (b. 1984)
David Kukhalashvili is a contemporary Georgian artist known for his distinctive fusion of pop-art aesthetics and surreal visual narratives. Working with bold color, graphic precision, and sharp satire, his paintings explore the hidden structures that shape contemporary society, from urban systems and collective identity to the psychological tensions of modern life.
Kukhalashvili’s unconventional artistic approach led to the rejection of his diploma by the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, a moment that became emblematic of his independent and rebellious position within the Georgian art scene. Despite this early institutional conflict, his work quickly attracted the attention of Georgian and international gallerists in the early 2010s.
Developing several parallel visual investigations — mapping urban systems, constructing surreal social narratives, and examining collective identity through pop-art imagery, Kukhalashvili creates visually striking compositions that combine irony, social critique, and surreal imagination.
He lives and works in Tbilisi.
Solo Exhibitions
2012
Exhibition City at “akademy +” Gallery
Group Exhibitions
2006
Mobile; Land Art Project, Kakheti, Georgia
2007
National Library Exhibition, Tbilisi, Georgia
2007
Balloon-Tbilisi 4-Every Day Is A Saturday. Cumberto Bar Art Center. Curated by Daniel Bauman
2007
Untitled Exhibition — Mechanical Love, at Tbilisi State Academy of Arts
2009
fresh; Duration 5’70 min. Performance Open Lesson.
Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, George Kevlishvili’s workshop
2009
Diploma Exhibition at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts
2010
Exhibition at Gallery 9, Tbilisi
2012
Young Souls. CCA – Centre for Contemporary Art, Tbilisi
2014
OPENING: Upcoming Group Show in Leipzig International Art Program (LIA)
Topology Memory. Leipzig, Germany
2016
ME OVER MY SEX. Bolnisi, Georgia
2017
Artisterium 9/2016 Tbilisi International Contemporary Art Exhibition and Art Events
Life-N-Style Art Festival
Urban Sketchers Stuttgart
2018
Tbilisi Art Fair TAF
Leipzig International Art Program (LIA)
Tbilisi Architeture Biennial