NINIKO MORBEDADZE - AMBIGUITY OF EXISTENCE

Niniko Morbedadze (ნინიკო მორბედაძე - 1957) lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. A graduate of the Tbilisi State Academy of Art, she is a prominent representative of the 1980s school of Georgian artists who lived through and reacted to the disintegration of the Soviet Union. 

Niniko Morbedadze – THEY ARE WATCHING US, 88x125 cm. Acrylic and India ink on paper. 2021. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Straddling the line between surrealism and magical realism, Niniko’s work is ever pertinent as she meditates upon the versatility of interpretations of the world before us and our place within it.

Niniko Morbedadze –URBAN GEOMETRY, 78.5x116 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2018. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Uninterested in contributing additional layers of camouflage and symbolism to a naturally uncertain and ambiguous existence, Niniko portrays the world as she perceives it: in its full, and at times otherworldly diversity.

Niniko Morbedadze – BUTTERFLY EFFECT, 80x130 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2020. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Niniko Morbedadze – BUTTERFLY EFFECT, 81x90 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2020. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Niniko ruminates upon the challenges of language, expression, interpretation and misinterpretation. Her work rests heavily on the notion that what transpires in our subconscious and conscious minds can never be fully or accurately expressed, and further still, undergoes an additional layer of reordering when perceived by others.

Niniko Morbedadze – PROMENADE SOCIETY, 90x136 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2020. Photo by George Morbedadze.

The figures and beings portrayed in Niniko’s works exist in mutual acknowledgement that nothing is as straightforward as it may seem. The people residing in the world Niniko depicts coast through life comfortably in the knowledge that there are undercurrents of thought and information, occurrences past, present and future lingering all around us.

Niniko Morbedadze – I REMEMBER THE SCENT, 88x123 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2021. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Niniko’s technical proficiency is unquestionable, and the quality of precisely executed detail in her work is a testament to this. She employs acrylic paint, Indian ink, colored pencil, and pen on paper to create an inimitable style. Her work is instantly recognisable. Her character-heavy, carefully constructed paintings capture the viewers’ attention by inducing a sense of familiarity, and enticing them to study further and ponder the dynamic scenes that unfold before their eyes.

Niniko Morbedadze – LAST ATTEMPT, 68x82 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2019. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Niniko Morbedadze – A SENTIMENTAL DAY, 79x129 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2021. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Niniko’s depictions of the human body seamlessly interweave sculpturesque grandeur with nimble, lightweight dynamism. The skillfully depicted momentum and motion of human and animal anatomy surges with energy and is intensely communicative. Shadows take on lives of their own, bearing significant visual weight.

Niniko Morbedadze – MYSTERIES OF A TURKISH BATH, 80x130 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2017. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Multiculturalism is inherent in her work. Everything is fluid, and nothing is to be defined or dictated. By design, her pieces are interconnected – continuations of one another, presenting alternative perspectives, scenarios and moments. Her oeuvre is a living, breathing universe, always in flux.

Niniko Morbedadze – HOLIDAY IN VITRUBE, 90x137 cm. Acrylic and Indian ink on paper. 2017. Photo by George Morbedadze.

Over the past couple of years, Niniko’s works have been successfully sold at Phillips Auction in London, surpassing their high estimates. Her works are part of prominent private European and US collections, and can be viewed at the Zimmerli Art Museum in the United States.