Tamuna Sirbiladze
Tamuna Sirbiladze (12 February 1971 – 2 March 2016) was an artist based in Vienna, Austria.
Life
Sirbiladze was born in Tbilisi in Georgia. She studied art at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts (1989–1994) in Georgia and later the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (1997–2003) and Slade School of Fine Art, London, 2003. She was the widow of fellow artist Franz West (1947–2012) and collaborated with West on a number of projects.[1][2]
Sirbiladze's background influenced her approach to painting: "Sirbiladze was exposed to art mostly through books—her home country had few museums. She knew early on that she wanted to be an artist, however, and cited the colors of the art she came across as the reason she ended up painting."[3] She told Forbes in a 2015 interview, "Searching for light and color is my main engagement".[4]
Work
Sirbiladze made paintings known for their speed, and she sometimes incorporated text into her work.[5] Her characteristic style merged the figurative and the gestural. Her paintings have been described as "highly expressive" with splashes of color "forming abstracted figures and patterns." An Art in America review, a year before her death at age 45, remarks on the "energetic content" of her work, saying "Sirbiladze’s line is spare; abundant, creamy negative space supports the gentle diagonal flow of marks" anchored by unexpected forms.[6] Critic Alex Greenberger said, "Sirbiladze’s paintings played with the division between figuration and abstraction, often melding the two in ambiguous images. Genitalia and bodies can be glanced in some, while in others, objects like jugs and fruits seem to materialize. Sirbiladze’s paintings recall the work of Henri Matisse and the Impressionists in their light, expressive brushwork."[7]
Sirbiladze’s work was introduced to a New York audience in 2015 through two solo exhibitions. Sirbiladze had exhibited in Europe including at Jonathan Viner Gallery in London and Secession in Vienna. She wasn't known to New York audiences until she had "two shows of her abstract paintings, at Half Gallery and James Fuentes in 2015. For the former exhibition, "Sirbiladze turned Half Gallery’s Upper East Side space into an installation—two walls were covered in a series of purple, dark-blue, and green smears, and paintings were hung on top."[7]
Selected exhibitions
1997
- Bricks and Kicks – Weather, Vienna
1999
- The Sun Will Rise – Old Gallery, Tbilisi
2000
- Juana e Juanita – Galleria Juana de Aizpuru, Madrid
2001
- Point of View – Künstlerhauspassage, Vienna
- Plakatenwürf (collaboration with Franz West) – Gallery Gisela Capitain, Cologne
2002
- English Dictionary – Mac, Marseille
2003
- La-Bas – Nexus kunsthalle Saalfelden, Saalfelden
- Franz West and Friends – Act, London
2004
- Update – Kunstlerhaus, Vienne Museum of Modern Art, Passau
- Le Opere I Giorni – Certosa Di San Lorenzo, Padula, Salerno
2005
- Camere/Chambers – Rum, Roma
- The Red Thread – Educational Alliance Gallery, New York
- Seconda – Biennale internationale d'arte di Ferrara, Ferrara
2006
- Esperimento Illuminismo – Albertina Museum, Vienna
2007
- Inconcurrence – Galerie ColletPark, Paris
2008
- Tamuna Sirbiladze: Paintings and Elements – Jonathan Viner Gallery, London
- Pretty Ugly, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise – New York City, NY
2010
- Laszive Lockungen – Galerie CUC Charim Unger Contemporary, Berlin
2012
- Naked Ground – Galerie Lisa Ruyter, Vienna
- Gaiety Is The Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union – Saatchi Gallery, London
2014
- Tamuna Sirbiladze – Damona – Charim Galerie, Vienna
2015
- Tamuna Sirbiladze – Take It Easy – Half Gallery, New York City, NY
- Tamuna Sirbiladze: "Good Enough Is Never Good Enough – James Fuentes LLC, New York City, NY
- No Man's Land – Rubell Family Collection, Miami
References
- ^ "FindArticles.com – CBSi". findarticles.com. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ "Pinault and Co. - artnet Magazine". artnet.com. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ Greenberger, Alex. "TAMUNA SIRBILADZE, ABSTRACT PAINTER WHO RECENTLY MADE NEW YORK DEBUT, DIES AT 45". Art News. Art News. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ Lehrer, Adam. "Half Gallery Holds Georgian Artist Tamuna Sirbiladze's First U.S. Solo Show, 'Take it Easy'". Forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ Alexander, Darsie, HamsterWheel.eu
- ^ Whittaker, Iona. "Review: Tamuna Sirbiladze NEW YORK, at James Fuentes". Art in America. Art In America. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ a b Greenberger, Alex. "Tamuna Sirbiladze, Abstract Painter Who Recently Made New York Debut, Dies at 45". artnews.com. ArtNews. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
External links
- Tamuna Sirbiladze on ArtFacts.net
- Further information from the Saatchi Gallery
- Tamuna Sirbiladze at Collet Park
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