Catalogue accompanying the 2021 London solo exhibition by Levan Lagidze, one of Georgia's most significant living artists.
Promise
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Promise
15 - 27 November, 2021
Monday – Saturday | 11am – 8pm After-hours and Sunday by appointment
Katrine Levin Galleries at D Contemporary 23 Grafton Street, Mayfair, W1S 4EY London
www.katrinelevin.com katrine@katrinelevin.com | +44 (0) 7789 001 378
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L evan Lagidze is one of Georgia’s most significant living artists with work in the permanent collections of major museums including the Tretyakov Gallery and Museum of Modern Art in Russia, the National Picture Gallery in Georgia, and the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in the United States. Born in 1958 in Tbilisi, Georgia (then part of the Soviet Union), Lagidze graduated from Tbilisi State Academy of Arts in 1981. He served as Chairman of Georgia´s Young Artists’ Union from 1986 to 1989 and in the early 1990s supported struggling Georgian artists in the turbulent decade following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He is widely collected worldwide.
“The earth is as important as the sky”
Inspired by Georgia’s landscapes and cityscapes, Lagidze’s outwardly abstract compositions contain traces of the figurative. Perspective has been flattened and each element within a canvas is given equal importance. Lagidze’s aim is not to prioritise, not to ascribe secondary or primary values but to allow every fragment to form part of a universal whole, so that ‘the earth is as important as the sky’. This creates a sense of paintings within paintings, as the smaller elements within larger canvases draw the eye and appear to stand alone, creating a Labyrinthian sense of art within artworks.
“Inside every square of Levan Lagidze’s work is a separate universe”
Following a grid like structure, paint is applied thickly using a palette knife creating texture, depth, and a sense of things hidden. Often vibrant, Lagidze’s canvases reflect the multicoloured nature of the world, with blocks of colour both in the forefront and also concealed, to be re- discovered by the viewer. The rhythmic use of line and colour creates a harmony that is also echoed in his meditative series, where variations on shades of the same colour create the sensation of being drawn into an ever-unfolding depth. “Promise” is a collection of nine new works that delivers on the artist’s promise to always give us something new. Also on show are fifteen new works from the popular “My Journey” subseries of gem-like and playful small pieces (35 x 32cm) which when viewed together form a mosaic.
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‘For him painting is a form of gaining a greater awareness ... looking at his paintings, you desire time in quiet contemplation.’
Maka Bezhuashvili, Curator, the National Gallery, Georgian National Museum
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“Sunny Side”. Oil on canvas. 130 x 105 cm, 2021
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“Evening”. Oil on canvas. 130 x 105 cm, 2021
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“In search of the Horizon”. Oil on canvas. 105 x 130 cm, 2021
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“Original Vineyards”. Oil on canvas. 130 x 105 cm. 2021
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“Village in the Mountains”. Oil on canvas. 130 x 105 cm, 2021
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“Original city”. Oil on canvas. 105 x 130 cm, 2021
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“Old City”. Oil on canvas. 130 x 105 cm, 2021
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“Sunset Over My City”. Oil on canvas. 73 x 60 cm, 2021
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“Art is participation in a happy game of sharing experiences in harmony and gratitude.”
Levan Lagidze
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“Front Lawn”. Oil on canvas. 73 x 60 cm, 2021
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“Depth”. Oil on canvas. 73 x 60 cm, 2021
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“Levan Lagidze’s art is truly exceptional for me. He is among the best artists of our time who define the cultural processes and inspire us with their mastership.”
Prof. David Lordkikanidze, Director General, Georgian National Museums
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“Red Field”. Oil on canvas. 60 x 73 cm, 2021
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My journey
All paintings - Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Untitled”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Shato Black Vineyards”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Bach Exercises”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Memories”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Before Christmas”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“November”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Golden Orchards”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“After the April Rains”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“September Evening”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“In Search of a Construct”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“The Inn”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Labyrinth”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“View from the Train Window”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Promise”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Autumn in the Village”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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“Night”. Oil on canvas. 35 x 32 cm, 2021
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Katrine Levin Galleries is not a place, it is a destination to contemporary art from places less explored.
Katrine brings extraordinary artists, both emerging and established in their countries, to the Western art scene. The diverse cultural backgrounds form a fascinating subcontext and give a new perspective while the contemporary visual language creates a common bond. The works span figurative to abstract, raw emotion to symbolic storytelling. Diverse in style, all of the artists pursue art for art’s sake. The focus is on exceptional art that elevates the soul through that inner spark that is hard to define and easy to see. Katrine is passionate about connecting extraordinary artists from places less explored with collectors who are looking for unique and authentic art; creating a community of art lovers and independent thinkers.
Presented by Katrine Levin Galleries Contact details: Katrine Levin www.katrinelevin.com | katrine@katrinelevin.com | +44 (0) 7789 001 378 Follow us: Instagram: Katrine Levin Galleries Twitter: Katrine Art Speak Facebook: Katrine Levin Galleries
Photographs by Mirian Kiladze and Gia Chkhatarashvili Creative design by Sandro Chkhaidze | Layout by Martina Poiana Printed by “Ex Why Zed”, London
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Katrine Levin Galleries www.katrinelevin.com
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