Pink Unicorns and Pleather: Georgian Artist Mako Lomadze Rides Into Dreamland
Where do you go when you dream? Contemporary Georgian artist Mako Lomadze plucks imagery from her subconscious escapades and creates oil paintings laden with surrealist symbolism. Just as our minds spin everyday events into far-fetched dreams, Lomadze translates her personal experiences into absurdist narratives.
Lomadze embraces her role as the main character and star of her work, often appearing in spectacular pink accessories worthy of a Hollywood starlet. “[My] art responds to the role of a woman in the modern world,” she explains. “[My] portraits illustrate the stages of self-contemplation, deep sensual issues, and shows the essence of true self, embraced by loneliness.” Bound in a black pleather catsuit and straddling a pink unicorn, Lomadze defiantly returns the viewer’s gaze in “I Overcame Obstacles.” She often “conduct[s] the tragic sense of existence [in] an aesthetic way,” transforming personal traumas into candy-colored fantasies.
Much of Lomadze’s work is set in the forest, a place she feels safe from nightmares—either real and imagined. “I consider the jungle as a pleasant place, a place where I feel myself familiar,” she says. “This kind of nature reminds me of the western Georgia, where I had been spending most of my summertime as a child. It was [my] favorite place to be and [I] felt very calm and protected.” Lomadze experiments with her emotions by painting these safe spaces as inherently threatening. In “Land of the Invisible Bugs,” she imagines a particularly haunting nightmare—”I had a feeling of bugs sharply rising on my body”—infesting the safety of the forest.
Moving through her subconscious with clear-eyed curiosity, Lomadze embraces the ambiguity at the heart of the human experience with cryptic imagery. Seeking catharsis, Lomadze charges into the depths of her psyche armed with an open mind, brave heart, and a fabulous pink coat.
Mako Lomadze embraces her role as the main character and star of her work, often appearing in spectacular pink accessories worthy of a Hollywood starlet.
Mariam Lomadze: Instagram | Facebook
All photos published with permission of the artist.
Want to be featured in Lightbox? Email editor@notrealart.com with a short introduction and a link to your online portfolio or three images of your work.
