Flowers From My Soul, 2022

Sophie Mamaladze  

Sopho Mamaladze is a Georgian Artist. (2001) Her interest in art started back in her childhood. First, she made sculptures of people from "another world", when she was 8 years old. This is when the relationship between her and art began and she believes it will never end.

“Art is something that is constantly changing, and a true artist is someone who is constantly searching for himself/herself. I love to experiment, and the most fascinating process at work is to constantly express my emotions through different materials and styles." - says Sopho.

When Sopho was about 10 years old, she started working in the studio of famous Georgian artists (Lia Shvelidze and Mamuka Tshekladze), where they often had workshops and meetings with other artists. A few years later, in 2019, she was successfully enrolled in the Tbilisi State Art Academy, and in 2021-2022, she was fully funded by Erasmus+ exchange program and got the opportunity to study for 6 months in Paris at ENSAPC (Ecole nationale supérieure d'arts de Paris, Cergy). During this period, she had exhibitions in Milan and Spain, as well as group exhibitions in Tbilisi and abroad.

Sopho also have participated in Luxor International Painting Symposium and in several group exhibitions in Europe.At the end of 2022, She had her first personal exhibition in Berlin. The exhibition was held in the residence of Martin Rennert (former rector of Udk) and Ekaterina Rennert, where Minh An Szabó de Bucs was the curator of the event. After that, in 2023, Sopho had a solo exhibition at Atinati's culture center Currently she is a last year bachelor's degree student at Tbilisi State Academy of Art in the field of Fine Arts and in the next year she is planning to continue her master studies in Europe.

When you Sopho about what feeds her art, her answer is: “In my paintings I never ask the question - why? Because I think the restriction "insults" the art, which I think is felt in my work. I use many colors that allow me to express myself better. I often use mixed media to learn more about my abilities. In the process of drawing series, ideas are often changed and formed, during the process of depicting this idea, the path is broken, and I try to trust and follow this path as much as possible. Recently, I have explored the themes and symbolism of animals and birds, mythology, human subconsciousness, and especially in creating the last series, I was captivated by how the world is connected with human being and animal. Earlier, if the main subject of research was a person, now I try to express what happened around him or her in my works. Also, half a year ago, I found a new way – the washing technique, which gives me more courage in the process of painting, which I think is a necessary quality for an artist. Compared to others, this technique includes different materials, which gives me a deep mage on the surface of the canvas, not a flat one, a vague and nostalgic character, as if something was painted before, then erased, although some part is still visible , which tells the story by itself, like a fresco".