Artist Tato Akhalkatsishvili selected for prominent Art Dubai fair residency

Contemporary artist Tato Akhalkatsishvili will work within a new residency program of the high-profile Art Dubai fair and display his work at this year’s event starting next month.

The Georgian artist has been selected among 11 participants for the residency, set to run from four to eight weeks within the fair’s new gallery program, Residents 2018.

[The program will encourage] artists to immerse themselves in the local art scene to create a body of work which merges their distinct artistic practice with their surroundings”, said a release by Art Dubai.

The United Arab Emirates-based fair will then present the resulting works in its new section, with artists of the program showcased by galleries they represent.

#ArtDubaiResidents: Meet the residents at @in5dubai, and follow their journey at #ArtDubaiResidentsxIn5: https://t.co/jwI5GWgYWRpic.twitter.com/oJVQoB1IKX

— Art Dubai (@artdubai) February 5, 2018

In addition to the display, the Residents program will involve "public events and open studios” aimed at facilitating interaction between the audience and the selected creatives.

The Georgian-based artist’s series for the residency, titled Is Your Body a Heaven, is a recent work-in-progress project.

The series is comprised of large-scale canvases, depicting different colours, organisms of our universe and underlining advantages or disadvantages of our living planet”, said the preview from the fair.

Presented by Tbilisi-based ERTI Gallery, Akhalkatsishvili has been picked for the program alongside artists from locations including Denmark, Japan and the United States.

Born in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, the artist graduated from the city’s State Academy of Arts in 2003 before moving to Germany.

Returning to Georgia in 2008, Akhalkatsishvili has been working in disciplines including painting and installation, focusing on creating artwork in series.

He has exhibited at the Beijing International Art Biennial, Saatchi Gallery in London and the Tbilisi History Museum.

ERTI Gallery is a venue focused on promoting contemporary art scene of Georgia both in the country and beyond.

The gallery works with the aim of "discovering, promoting and building long lasting collaboration between artists, collectors and cultural institutions”.