Levan Songulashvili
ლევან სონღულაშვილი
Songulashvili in 2017
Born (1991-08-17) August 17, 1991
Tbilisi, Georgia
Education
Known for
Movement
Websitelevan.gallery

Levan Songulashvili (Georgian: ლევან სონღულაშვილი; born August 17, 1991) is a Georgian-born New York-based visual artist; painter, draughtsman, installation and multimedia video artist.

Biography

Songulashvili was born in Tbilisi, on August 17, 1991.

In 2021, the Georgian National Museum presented Levan Songulashvili’s solo exhibition.[1][2] In the same year the artist was named a Forbes Georgia 30 Under 30.[3]

In 2011, the 19 years old artist was invited to Germany as part of the art project, where he designed a play along with his German counterparts.[4]

At the age of 21, Songulashvili graduated from The Tbilisi State Academy of Arts with a bachelor's degree in Drawing and Printmaking. He won several merit scholarships and art prizes and became the first Georgian artist who earned his Master's (M.F.A.) degree with honors from The New York Academy of Art in Painting.[4][5]

In 2018, Songulashvili had his extensive autonomous exhibition "The STYX" in two gallery spaces, curated by Mark Gisbourne. The show included a series of paintings and film installations devoted to the self-regenerative medusozoa jellyfish. In the second space there was another projected video three-wall environmental installation "The System of Objects", filmed in the Guggenheim Museum and newly completed Oculus in New York. The work also incorporated an extensive foreground receding sculptural component. The overall theme of the exhibition was that of "passage" and life journey, very much in line with philosopher-anthropologist Joseph Campbell’s famous historical anthropology of The Hero’s Journey, from life to death, ignorance to enlightenment, from day to night, and that of eternal return. For Songulashvili this served as both a universal metaphor and creative theme, and also as an extended simile of the artist’s own evolving life experience.[6]

In 2018, Songulashvili’s monumental stage installation "IDEM ET IDEM" was presented for composer Giya Kancheli’s historical concert with the world premiere of his latest musical piece for choir and chamber orchestra. Inspired by one of Songulashvili’s painting series the composer entitled his work with the same name.[7]

The artist's works and multimedia installations are shown in art galleries, private collections, and museums worldwide, including Sotheby’s (NYC), The Royal Academy of Arts and Saatchi Gallery. The artist's pieces are in the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Museum and on permanent view at The Rustaveli National Theatre.[8][9][10][11]

Songulashvili has received the President’s Award[12][13][14] and The New York State Assembly Award for Achievements and Contribution to the Arts.[13][15][16]

Songulashvili also writes psychological prose, essays, verses and plays the piano.[17]

Artistic practice

Levan Songulashvili explains his work by saying, "I care about the mysteries of Life, its origins, its endless cycles and regenerations and I question the current civilization in which we find ourselves and wonder: what will be the future of Humankind? What is problematic for scientists is fascinating for me. This process looks like a never-ending quest for an answer. In my view, an artist should be somewhat Don Quixot-ish. I am familiar with a state, after self-reflection an irrational impulse urges me to find water in a desert, which would then lead me to the ocean".[18]

Stoicheîon 金星

In 2019, Songulashvili was artist in residence in Singapore, where he realized a multimedia solo project named Stoicheîon 金星. The show presented two monumental video installations and a selection of Japanese-ink paintings at the Objectifs - a centre for photography and film, Chapel Gallery.

The System of Objects

The System of Objects (video-sculpture, installation) by Levan Songulashvili, 2018.

Bibliography

  • Levan Songulashvili, Basak Senova: Triptychos, Window Project (2021), ISBN 9789941838309
  • Levan Songulashvili: ASSOCIO, Monograph (2020), ISBN 9789941810909 [19]
  • Mark Gisbourne, Levan Songulashvili: The STYX, Erti (2018), ISBN 9789941800832 [20]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResult
2018ArtistADayThe Top Artist of the Year 2017Won
2017BWAC Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition - National Art ExhibitionPeople's ChoiceWon
2017The International Education Center (IEC) Full Tuition Academic Scholarship AwardArtsWon
2016The New York State AssemblyAchievements & Contribution to the ArtsWon
2016The International Education Center (IEC) Full Tuition Academic Scholarship AwardArtsWon
2016EGO AwardsArts - The Discovery of the YearNominated
2015The International Education Center (IEC) Full Tuition Academic Scholarship AwardArtsWon
2015The Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) AwardsBest Artist / Event of the YearNominated
2015The New York Academy of Art (NYAA)Portrait Scholarship AwardWon
2014The New York Academy of Art (NYAA)Merit AwardWon
2014The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia (MES)Master and Doctoral Program Full Tuition Scholarship AwardWon
2013 — 2010The Tbilisi State Academy of Arts (TSAA)Merit ScholarshipWon
2013 — 2009The Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of GeorgiaFull Tuition Academic ScholarshipWon
2012Inter Art BatumiInternational Certificate
2011JSC TBC BankGrant for the Art Project in GermanyWon
2010The Ministry of Education and Science of GeorgiaAward and Certificate for Mural Painting As Part of "Developing Inclusive Education at 9 Public Schools of Georgia" Project
2010The National Library of GeorgiaAward for the Successful Participation in the Open Doors Day
2008The President of GeorgiaSpecial prize and a letter of appreciation for achievements
2008Republican Educational and Art Conference (Georgian Language Section)A first-class degree DiplomaWon
2007IV Art Competition of The Hobby GalleryA first-class degree DiplomaWon
2007Republican Educational and Art Conference (Georgian Language Section)A first-class degree DiplomaWon
2006Republican Educational and Art Conference (Georgian Language Section)A first-class degree DiplomaWon
2006III Art Competition of The Hobby GalleryA first-class degree DiplomaWon
2006The Georgian National Youth Palace AwardA first-class degree Diploma & Award in ArtsWon
2005II Art Competition of The Hobby GalleryA first-class degree DiplomaWon
2004II Art Competition of The Hobby GalleryA first-class degree DiplomaWon
2004International Art Competition "Niamori"ArtsWon

References

  1. ↑ "TRIPTYCHOS - Solo Show of Levan Songulashvili". museum.ge.
  2. ↑ "Levan Songulashvili: Triptychos - Announcements - e-flux". www.e-flux.com.
  3. ↑ "30 UNDER 30 | Forbes Georgia". under30.ge.
  4. 1 2 "Bio – Levan Songulashvili". levan.gallery. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Forbes-ის 30 Under 30-ის გამარჯვებულების სია ცნობილია".
  6. ↑ "The STYX | Levan Songulashvili's solo show | Ertigallery".
  7. ↑ "ლევან სონღულაშვილი Strokes of Genius–ის გამარჯვებულია". 2018-12-21.
  8. ↑ "Georgian artist's works join Picasso, Van Gogh at Brooklyn Museum". GeorgianJournal. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "Iggy Pop's Life Drawing Class". The New York Times. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  11. ↑ "Iggy Pop's Life Drawing Class - "Untitled (Standing pose)," Levan Songulashvili (Georgian, born 1991), from "Iggy Pop Life Class - The New York Times". The New York Times. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  12. ↑ "ჩვენი მწერლობა" ("Chveni Mtserloba") – Georgian magazine, Levan Songulashvili, No. 11 (115)|author=Tekle Janelidze|2010
  13. 1 2 "Levan Songulashvili – Young Georgian discovery of world art". GeorgianJournal. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Agenda.ge – Young Georgian painter features at Sotheby's art auction". agenda.ge. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  15. ↑ "ქართველი მხატვარი ნიუ იორკში დააჯილდოვეს • artinfo.ge". 28 September 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "ლევან სონღულაშვილი ნიუ-იორკის შტატის ასამბლეამ დააჯილდოვა". 28 September 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "ლევან სონღულაშვილი - ქართველები უცხოეთში".
  18. ↑ "Levan Songulashvili - New York, NY Artist - Painters - Artistaday.com". www.artistaday.com. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  19. ↑ Songulashvili, Levan (2020). ASSOCIO: Levan Songulashvili. ISBN 9789941810909.
  20. ↑ Songulashvili, Levan; Gisbourne, Mark (2018-05-20). The STYX: Levan Songulashvili. ISBN 9789941800832.
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