Mikheil (Mishiko) Sulakauri’s practice considers societal transformation through observed changes in heritage sites, shared spaces, and rural and urban environments. The act of seeing is integral to his process. Absurdist, chaotic sights stemming from uncanny placements and additions to spaces and contexts around him fuel his work.
Sulakauri captures instances of simultaneity and juxtaposition in his surroundings and riffs on these momentary aberrations. He engages in visual storytelling, often using semiotic language that combines pre-Christian markings, contemporary technological and construction signs, and multi-national corporation logos. These symbols and references weave together narratives of uncertainty, anxiety, sanctioned and unsanctioned change, absurdity, luck, resilience, and survival. His shows are staged as cohesive scenes with works seamlessly interlaced with the environment they are shaped by and, in turn, shape. His practice highlights the delicate interplay between past and present, tradition and innovation, and individual and collective memory. Sulakauri’s use of materials is guided by his process, which often leads him to experimentation. His works range from oil painting to found objects and fabrications.
Mishiko Sulakauri was born in 1996 and lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. He studied under the tutelage of a recognised Georgian artist Georgi (Gogi) Alexi-Meskhishvili for two years. He was accepted at Tbilisi State Academy of Arts for a BA in Fine Arts but ultimately decided to pursue his education on his own terms. From a young age, Sulakauri found a place for himself in the streets as a graffiti artist, developing a signature style. His moniker “LAMB” has graced Tbilisi streets for over a decade. He is a co-founder of a graffiti collective “ცრუ“ (false), established in 2017 with the aim of inserting Georgian typography into a street scene where it was lacking, and observing the effect these markings have on culture over time.