On March 17th, the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre hosted an exclusive private viewing of Merab Kopaleishvili’s exhibition. The showcase featured works from Kopaleishvili’s paper series The Tale of the Roe, inspired by the deeply symbolic world of Georgian national literary figure Vazha-Pshavela.
Kopaleishvili has reimagined the writer’s literary narrative as a visual experience, presenting his interpretation of Vazha-Pshavela’s cosmological world, where deer symbolize an integral component of the cosmic structure. The mythological significance of the deer shapes the artistic essence and content of Vazha’s prose, striking a deep chord with every Georgian. In his series, Kopaleishvili blends poetic storytelling with visual symbolism, creating emotionally evocative compositions, deeply influenced by the sorrow embedded in the tale.
“Central to this narrative is the artist’s imagination, as the story unfolds through his fantasy, where intuitive and sensory perceptions blend into a cohesive whole. Kopaleishvili translates the essence of Vazha-Pshavela’s story into a profound sense of tragedy, which becomes a recurring leitmotif throughout the series. The artist works with simple, generalized forms and embraces a naive artistic style, where the combination of symbols and signs gives each composition striking expressiveness. The narrative remains minimal, with the primary focus on evoking intense emotion. This emotion, in turn, propels the narrative, making the sadness and tragedy of Vazha-Pshavela’s tale deeply tangible,” notes Dr. Mzia Chikhradze, Art Historian and Senior Research Fellow at the Chubinashvili Center.
Born in 1967 in Senaki, Georgia, Merab Kopaleishvili studied at the Samtredia Art School before continuing his education at the State Academy of Arts in Tbilisi. Early in his career, Kopaleishvili balanced his artistic passion with work as a candy vendor, but his dedication to art eventually led him to develop a distinctive style. His breakthrough came in 2022 with his first solo exhibition at the Tbilisi History Museum, marking a pivotal moment in his career. Since then, his works have been showcased in prestigious international art fairs, including the Tbilisi Art Fair (TAF) and the Asia NOW Paris Art Fair in 2024.
The event, organized by Reach Art Visual in collaboration with the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation, will be open to the public from March 18 to March 21, 2025.
