Interview with: Mery Kudukhashvili
November 2025
What was your first step in becoming an artist?
I was born into a family where everyone painted. Creativity was the language of our home, so becoming an artist felt as natural as breathing.
How do you define yourself in the creative industry?
I create my masterpieces by pouring positive energy and my inner calling into each one. My art is an extension of my spirit.
What is indispensable while working in your studio?
A large supply of colors and canvases — I must have the freedom to create new compositions whenever inspiration arrives.
Who are your favorite artists, and who built your creative imaginary?
I admire the Impressionists and Expressionists deeply, and I have great love for Michelangelo Buonarroti. But above all, my sister — the creative painter Eva Kudukhashvili — has shaped me the most.
How has your upbringing or heritage shaped your techniques?
My technique was formed through years of searching and hard work. Some paintings take five or even ten years as I slowly layer colors until the work feels complete.
A moment when you realized art was your purpose?
Painting is my oxygen — I understood that long ago.
How do you reconcile raw creativity with discipline?
When I paint, all tension disappears. I respect traditions, but I’ve carved my own path.
Drawn toward a conventional career? Why the leap?
Since childhood, my parents respected my choices. I was free to discover what made me happy. Their support allowed me to leap fearlessly.
Why do you personally turn to art?
Because I am free in my creativity — no one restricts me. Art is where my soul breathes.
Does spirituality influence your process?
I feel completely free in my creativity — nothing blocks the flow. That freedom itself is spiritual.
How do you reignite creativity during self-doubt?
My studio is my world. Once I enter, everything shifts into a different frequency — only goodness and beauty remain.
Is passion destined or chosen?
If passion is truly inside a person, they are happy. If not, they suffer. History offers many examples.
How does your art engage with contemporary issues?
I want to raise the cultural level of society. Art must serve beauty, not vulgarity.
The most meaningful role of an artist today?
Artists shape everything — even the everyday objects we use. But during an artist’s lifetime, their value is often least appreciated.
Describe your artistic practice.
As long as I remain a free creator, I paint compositions that fill and entertain me. I teach what satisfies me completely.
Multidisciplinary practice?
Helping young people become mentally healthy through creativity is already a profound mission. It is work that will be remembered.
The future of painting?
Painting will never die. It continues to transform, and so do I.
Should art have a political agenda?
Every field needs order, but my focus is cultural elevation, not ideology.
How important is viewer understanding?
Visitors bring flowers to exhibitions and tell me they feel positive energy. Their emotional connection is what matters most.
Ethical struggles in your art?
My paintings are light and beautiful — they awaken respect, not dilemmas.
One core message of your work?
Love to the world.
How do you measure impact?
Through perception — how people feel and respond.
Responsibility to be authentic?
Artists must be educated, inquisitive, peaceful, loving — working always to elevate culture.
Evolution of an artwork?
I set my self-prepared primed canvas on the easel and observe it for days. Then the composition forms. I work early in the morning, building color upon color like a woven impression. The piece eventually “speaks” and tells me when to stop.
Unexpected sources of inspiration?
None — my process is as steady and precise as clockwork.
Creative rituals?
I avoid rituals. I simply play with color and composition.
A piece with emotional weight?
“Adam and Eve,” which I’ve worked on for 20 years. It reveals clearly how Adam seduced Eve — not the other way around.
How has your style transformed?
It has changed quietly over the years. I am still growing.
Is personal connection essential?
Yes — my long-term compositions show the depth of that connection.
A piece that feels different now?
Small changes come with time and health. True painting evolves and cannot be copied.
How do you keep growing while staying true?
Painting is like oxygen and water for me. I create because I must.
When has creativity felt like a burden?
Never. Not painting is the burden.
An interpretation that surprised you?
My sister Eva once told me her exhibition saved a woman from suicide. It moved me so deeply that I created a composition inspired by it.
Social media’s influence?
A true artist who loves their work is never “mad.” False artists pretend.
The “mad artist” stereotype?
When an artist is not at their best, they become aggressive and pretentious — this creates the stereotype.
When does art become pretentious?
When the artist is frustrated and not creating from purity.
Can art be therapeutic?
Absolutely. My paintings have healed many people. Visitors describe my studio as peaceful and restorative.
How should art be valued?
There is no objective measure. But art must be valued monetarily — an artist cannot live on air.
Role of academic institutions?
If an artist cannot draw, their price is a penny. Education matters. Self-taught shortcuts deceive society.
How do you approach criticism?
Criticism awakens a person. But the best critic of a work is always its creator.
Surprising viewer feedback?
When a viewer cries in front of my painting, I feel deeply rewarded.
Is art for the artist or the audience?
It is for society — to raise cultural consciousness.
AI in the art world?
Artificial intelligence can never surpass an artist. It is rigid and mathematical.
Has social media democratized or diluted art?
Criticism becomes easy, but creators must show their own work to be taken seriously.
Art created for commercial success?
It is empty and uninteresting.
Responsibility to address climate issues?
Artists cannot overcome political realities. Politicians know the roots of the problems.
Accessibility of art?
Art should be accessible to those who seek it.
Preserving authenticity in a globalized world?
True artists endure in every era.
Are the boundaries of art stretched too far?
Artists need open borders and free movement — to see more and create more.
Five pivotal lessons?
My whole life: learning, teaching, creating, searching, and evolving.
Five core themes?
Kindness. Love. Beauty. Cultural elevation. Harmony.
Overcoming creative blocks?
I am ready for anything — disappointment included. My creators and my children give me strength.
Habits or concerns to let go of?
Life is full of contrasts — and contrast makes life interesting.
Five questions for your favorite artist?
I would ask Michelangelo: Did you really paint the Sistine Chapel in one night?
Moments of gratitude?
Many — including the people whose lives my art has touched.
Five steps toward growth?
Continuous study, teaching, observing life, creating, and evolving.
If you could become one of your creations?
I would become a painting filled with positivity and harmony.
Sit with any creator in history?
Michelangelo — to witness his genius firsthand.
If president for a day?
I would have the government buy artists’ paintings and provide them with all the materials they need.
Step into any artistic era?
The era of Michelangelo — to watch the creation of the Sistine Chapel.
Theme song of your journey?
A hymn of quiet strength and constant renewal.
Live anywhere for creativity?
Florence — it strengthens my spirit.
Artistic superpower?
To infuse endless positive energy into every canvas.
If you had 24 hours left to create?
I would study and admire my paintings and wish that museums worldwide would acquire them to lift society.
How will your work evolve?
It continues to grow stronger, deeper, and more interesting.
Why painting?
No reason — I simply love it.
Upcoming projects this year?
Taking my students to museums to teach them deeper artistic understanding.
Define “art.”
Something created by hand and mind.
Projects next year?
A joint exhibition with my sister Eva Kudukhashvili in a major Tbilisi gallery.
Your references in the art world?
My inspirations are rooted in classical and expressive traditions.
Response to “I could do it too”?
Many think so — and that itself is a gesture of interest.
Artist who influenced you most?
My sister, the painter Eva Kudukhashvili.
Favorite contemporary artist?
Eva Kudukhashvili — my strongest inspiration, a true Cosmoexpressionist.
What do you want your art to convey?
Joy to all who see it. My studio brings me so much peace that all problems stay outside its doors.
Your typical workday?
I enter the studio early, paint, teach, and lose myself in creation.
Long-term aspirations?
To remind the world that idleness destroys and creativity revives.
Thoughts on teaching?
I teach that creativity is correct perception, and that real art requires learning, practice, and skill.
Could you ever stop creating art?
Only if I left this dimension — and even then, I would continue drawing.
Upcoming dreams?
A joint exhibition in Tbilisi with my sister, who lives in Florida.
Legacy you hope to leave?
My sister and I want to open a museum in Tbilisi — a home for creativity.
Your most outstanding achievement?
Participation in an international exhibition in India.
References and themes?
I love creating portraits — including a portrait of Shahrukh Khan which took five years.
Favorite art spaces?
Online formats allow me to access many cultural events.
Favorite contemporary artists?
My sister — the Cosmoexpressionist.
What are you working on now?
New compositions and lessons with my students.
Anything else to share?
Thank you for appreciating the uniqueness of my work. I wish to see you in Florence someday.