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The Library of Colors: Georgian and Armenian art




The Library of Colors is an exhibition at the Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 7-24 May 2017.

The Library of Colors is a cooperative project between two art institutions: the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts in Georgia and the Yerevan State Academy of Arts in Armenia. The project aims to deepen the long-lasting friendship between Georgians and Armenians. It also establishes new bilateral cultural initiatives that promote the traditional arts of the Georgian-Armenian art school. 

It is a group exhibition showcasing paintings by Georgian and Armenian artists, Gia Gugushvili (Rector of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts) and Aram Isabekyan (Rector of the Yerevan State Academy of Arts), as well as two young artists, Mariam Gugushvili of Georgia and Arthur Hovhannisyan of Armenia.

Georgi (Gia) Gugushvili (1952-) from Georgia was employed from 1977-2004 as the Head of the Fine Arts Department at the Tbilisi Artists House, and as the Director of the Georgian Postage Stamp at Georgia Post. Since 2013 he is the Professor and Dean at the Faculty of Fine Art at the Tbilisi State Acedemy of Arts, and from 2015 the Rector of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. He is the recipient of many awards, and in 2014 the organization Georgian Soul awarded him the prize for high contribution to Georgian culture. He has presented his works in many international galleries and exhibitions including the Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art in Philadelphia, USA.


Gia Gugushvili, Red House (2015)

Gia Gugushvili, Reflection N1 (2014) and The Simple Cord (2016)

Gia Gugushvili

Gia Gugushvili, close-up from Reflection N1 (2014)


Aram Isabekyan (1952-) of Armenia has been teaching in the Yerevan Fine Arts and Theatre Institute since 1979. In 1990 he became an Associate Professor and in 1992 he was conferred the title of Professor. In 1999 he was awarded a gold medal from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia. In 2001 he was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi medal on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the independence of Armenia. In 2002 he received the title of Honored Art Worker of Armenia. He has exhibited his works in more than 200 exhibitions globally.


Aram Isabekyan, Direction (2012)
Aram Isabekyan, The Witch (1997)

Aram Isabekyan, Renaissance (1995)


Mariam Gugushvili (1990-) was born into a family of Georgian artists. In 2011 she graduated with a BA in Poster Design and in 2013 with a MA in Graphic Design from the Tbilisi State Academy of Art. From 2010-2015 she worked in the Claus Hipp Theatre of the Tbilisi State Academy of Art, and continues to work as a graphic artist.


Mariam Gugushvili, Untitled (2016)

Mariam Gugushvili, Red Moon (2016)

Mariam Gugushvili, XOXO and Upside Down (2016)


Arthur Hovhannisyan (1984-) from Yerevan, Armenia, has worked at the Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts since 2010, and has exhibited his works in a number of international galleries.


Arthur Hovhannisyan, The Tourists (2017)
Arthur Hovhannisyan, Messa (2015)
Arthur Hovhannisyan, Tempting Fish (2014)

Arthur Hovhannisyan, Grigor Lusavorich (2005)





MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).


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