Alex Berdysheff

1964 Born in Tbilisi, Georgia. 1988 Graduated from Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts with a diploma in Graphic Design. 1990 Studied at Glasgow School of Art under a post-graduate exchange program. A contemporary surrealist, Alexander Berdysheff artworks are a combination of often-distorted objects, with pure abstract forms and textural components. They coexist beyond any physical or logical limits, revealing the invisible tension and eternal struggle between or inside all forms of matter, and giving rise to doubt in the reality of the visible. Berdysheff had exhibitions in many public institutions, like the The Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Central House of the Artists, in Moscow, Russia, the Georgian National Museum, the Tbilisi State History Museum and the Azerbaijan National, Museum of Art, in Baku, Azerbaijan. He received the John Murray Thomson Award at the 2000 Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition. 

The most important thing for me is the creative process itself. It’s a game, a ritual, a lifestyle, it encompasses everything. The collection presented is the result of this process covering about one year. It is also the result of decades of creative search and intuition.

After experimenting with collage, printmaking, and even digital art, I’ve deliberately chosen certain methods and directions for my work. It allows me to find the most appropriate forms of enhanced expression. I guess it makes my life more interesting. I continue to innovate and push the barriers towards further knowledge and these experiments may take me to any existing ‘ism’. I have distinct preferences however. Most of my work can be identified as Surreal. After years of ‘doing art’, Surrealism became, in a way, the main navigation system with which to express my artistic ideals.

Several years ago I was lucky to visit Farley Farm House in East Sussex, well known home to the Surrealists. Now it is a museum and archive featuring the lives and work of its former residents; the photographer Lee Miller, and the surrealist artist Roland Penrose. If I had doubts about my artistic direction before that visit, they were dispelled and I became more certain about further developing the artistic direction of my painting style.

I get inspiration from everyday life, dreams, travels, books, etc. It can be any image or word. My imagination adds ‘missing’ details and creates a living environment for all the fragmented and contradictive material. When the emerging composition / construction develops and grows on the canvas, it directs my thoughts as to where to go next. It demands inspired corrections and subtle changes. Mistakes during this creative process are an essential part of those ‘interactions’ on the canvas. The plan if ever such a plan really existed can be completely revised as the painting progresses, so it becomes an entity in itself. This is the greatest joy in the expression of my art.

In my painting I combine figurative, often distorted objects, with pure abstract forms and textural components. They coexist beyond any physical or logical limits, revealing an invisible tension and eternal struggle between, or inside all forms of matter, giving rise to doubt in the reality of the visible. Sometimes, I create so called ‘personages’ and place them in different settings. Just like a theatre stage. But I have no idea what happened there before, or will happen later. 

The images I create may have their stories but it's not my part to tell them. Everyone can interpret these images. A personal experience and imagination makes such interpretation each time different and unique.

MAIN EXHIBITIONS

2019

- “Perimeter”, Art Gallery Vanda, Tbilisi, one-man show

- “Parallels”, Joint exhibition of Alex Berdysheff and Jin Eui Kim, Arundel Contemporary, Arundel, West Sussex, UK.

- TAF, Tbilisi Art Fair, Art Gallery Vanda presentation, Expo Georgia, Tbilisi, group exhibition.   

2018

- “Untitled”, Arundel Contemporary, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, one-man show.

- " Rimonim on Ironside #2", Rimonim Art Gallery, Miami, group exhibition

2017

- “Under an Angel’s Wing”, Dolls Exhibition by Georgian artists, Museum Center, Baku, Azerbaijan

- "Expressing Space, New Art from Georgia" by Art Gallery Vanda, Foundation-Katara, Doha, Qatar, exhibition of seven   artists

- "The Apple Tree", Rimonim Art Gallery, Miami, group exhibition

- Classic Photography Gallery, Moscow, Union of Georgian Artists Exhibition

- "Rebus", Vake Art Gallery, Tbilisi, one-man show

- “Balancing Worlds”, Joint exhibition of Alex Berdysheff and Patricia Volk, FRBS, Arundel Contemporary, Arundel, West   Sussex, UK.

2016

- ”Black Square – 100 Years”, Art Gallery Vanda, Tbilisi, group exhibition

- “The Seven Secrets”, ARTBEEP, Mayfair, London

- “Art4U” Rimonim Art Gallery, Miami

- International Print Festival LIFE-N-STYLE, TBC Art Gallery, Tbilisi.

- “A Path of Discovery”, Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, one-man show

- "Edges", Art Gallery Vanda, Tbilisi, one-man show

- “Meeting of masters”, ARTBEEP Inaugural Exhibition, Mayfair, London

- New Light company showroom, new brands collection presentation, Tbilisi, one-man show

- ART PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR, Palm Beach County Convention Center, Booth 409, Rimonim Art   Gallery, Florida

2015

- "Dreams and Realities", Rimonim Art Gallery, Miami, one-man show

-  Exhibition of Modern Artists, National Creative Unity of Georgian Artists, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi  

-  Art Wynwood, The Art Wynwood Pavilion, Booth A15, Rimonim Art Gallery, Miami

2014

- “Cosmic Connections” Juried Exhibition, Art Basel Week, Miami

- “From Georgia with Love", Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, Baku, Azerbaijan

- "Extension", Art Gallery Vanda, Tbilisi, one-man show

- CONTINUUM, Sweet Art Gallery, Naples, FL, USA

2013

- PUNCTUM-CONTRA-PUNCTUM II American version, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center Fort Myers, FL, USA

- “Snowfall. Christmas Mixed Exhibition”, Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK

- PUNCTUM-CONTRA-PUNCTUM II, International Exhibition of Visual Art, Georgian National Museum, National Gallery,   Tbilisi, Georgia

- “Summertime Medley” Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK

- Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, one-man show

- “INCOGNITO” Group Exhibition, Naples Museum of Art, Florida, USA

- The Exhibition of Modern Artists, Georgian National Museum, Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, Tbilisi, Georgia

2012

- PUNCTUM-CONTRA-PUNCTUM I, International Exhibition of Visual Art, Georgian National Museum, Shalva Amiranashvili   Museum of Fine Arts, Tbilisi, Georgia

- "Retrospective", Vanda Gallery, Tbilisi, one-man show

- Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, one-man show

- “Vive le Surréalisme”, Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK

- Inter Art Batumi, Batumi, Georgia, group exhibition

- “From Waste to Art”, International project, Gala settlement, Baku, Azerbaijan

- Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, one-man show

2011

- Karvasla Tbilisi State History Museum, “Europe – in Search of New Identity”, group exhibition

- Hobby Gallery, Tbilisi, one-man show

2010 - 2013

- Arundel Art Room, Arundel, West Sussex, UK

2004 - 2014

- “Art Gallery Line” Tbilisi, Georgia, group exhibition

2010

- Artisterium, 3rd Tbilisi International Contemporary Art Exhibition and Art Events 

2009

- Hobby Gallery, Tbilisi, one-man show

2008

- Achara Art Museum, Batumi, Exhibition of Lithography Creative Studio, group exhibition

2007

- The Embassy of the Russian Federation, Tbilisi, Russian Artists of Georgia XX Century

2006

- Queen B’s Gallery, Queen Charlotte City, Canada, The 3rd International Miniart Exchange

- Art Bridge, Almaty, Kazakhstan, group exhibition

2005

- Art Caucasus 2005, Tbilisi , GTC

- TMS gallery, Tbilisi, one-man show

2004

- Art Caucasus 2004, 1st International Visual Art Expo, Tbilisi, Georgia, Hobby Gallery, one-man presentation

- The Embassy of Georgia to the U.K., London, Points of View (exhibition of 23 Georgian artists)

- Agora Gallery, Chelsea, New York, Milieu Through Mixed Media exhibition

2003

- Kunstverein Erkelenz (near Cologne), Germany, Art Beyond Borders group exhibition

- Kopala Gallery, Tbilisi, Joint exhibition

- Cultural Center Usina do Gasometro, Porto Alegre, Brazil, International Miniart Exchange

- Art Orient Gallery, Tbilisi, joint exhibition

- The Jersey Galleries, London, Artlives First International Exhibition

2002

- Karvasla Tbilisi State History Museum, “Actual Dreams”, group exhibition

- Hobby Gallery, Tbilisi, one-man show

- Galerie Kandinsky, Vienna, Austria, Art Beyond Borders group exhibition

- Grillparzerhof, Kirchberg o.d. Donau, Austria, Art Beyond Borders group exhibition

2001

- Municipal Gallery Burg Stolberg, Germany, Art Beyond Borders group exhibition

- Generali Insurance Company, Linz, Austria, Art Beyond Borders group exhibition

- The City Art Centre, Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy Summer Exhibition

- Central House of Artist, Moscow, the International Art Salon

- Karmelklooster, Drachten, the Netherlands, Art Beyond Borders group exhibition

2000

- The Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale, Arizona, group exhibition

- The Mall Galleries, London, Art of Imagination Open Exhibition

- Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, RSA Summer Exhibition

1999

- Hobby Gallery, Tbilisi, joint exhibition

- Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, RSA Summer Exhibition

1998

- Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, RSA Summer Exhibition

1997

- Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh College of Art, one-man show

- The Scottish Fine Art Group (SFAG), Inverness, joint exhibition

- Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, RSA Summer Exhibition

1996

- Gallery 47, London, group exhibition (SFAG)

- Central House of Artists, Moscow, group exhibition

1995

- Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, SSAC exhibition

- Roy Miles Gallery, London, group exhibition

- Consulate General of the Russian Federation, Edinburgh, one-man show

- Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, one-man show

1994

- The British Council, Edinburgh, one-man show

1991

- Central Exhibition Hall, Moscow, group exhibition 

1990

- Artbank Gallery, Glasgow, group exhibition 

- Galeria Brok, Barcelona, group exhibition

AWARDS

2006

- Coca-Cola Tbilisi Jazz Festival Poster Contest. First Prize.

2000J

- John Murray Thomson Award. 2000 Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

- Pambianco Design Magazine: L’Eterno Conflitto Nella Poetica di Berdysheff,  N°4/2016

- Lomadze, Maka: “Humble Talent Who Respects Mistakes in Art”, Georgia Today, May 29, 2016.

- Matchavariani, Nini: “Surrealist painter’s emotional exhibition at Art Gallery Vanda”, May 25, 2016, observer.com.ge

- Kaye, Gill: “Alex Berdysheff. A true contemporary surrealist”. Ingénue/e magazine, issue 4, spring 2014.

- FOCUS of SWFL Magazine. Point Against Point. Texts: Jade Dellinger, Richard L. Tooke . Nov/Dec 2013

- Arundel Art Room Gallery. “Alex Berdysheff, Painting 2009 – 2013”. Texts: Richard L. Tooke, MFA. Gill Kaye, Editor,   Ingénu/e magazine. Catalog. January 2013

- Coppen, Maya:  “Redefining Logic”, Art of England, Issue 82, June 2011.

- Gerrard, David: “Georgian Artist Makes an Impact in Scotland”, British East-West Journal, No.109, April 1998.

- Khositashvili, Lily: “Artist with high merit and idyosyncracy of vision”, Georgia Today, Issue 260, June 2005.

- Koplatadze, Anano: “Wichtig ist die Initiative”, Kaukasische Post, Nr.42, July/August 2003

- Love, Jim: “Scottish art-lovers with Georgia on their mind”, The Inverness Courier, Tuesday, June 24, 1997

- Macmillan, Duncan: “The broader picture looks healthy for classy artists”, The Scotsman, August 11, 1997

- Mellis, Richard: “Georgian splendour straight from the heart of Russia”, Scotland on Sunday, January 6, 1991

lendour straight from the heart of Russia”, Scotland on Sunday, January 6, 1991

ALEX BERDYSHEFF A TRUE CONTEMPORARY SURREALIST

A cocktail of iconic styles, Alex Berdysheff’s work pushes the parameters of surrealism. Drawing from past masters of the genre and overlaid with his own keenly felt impression of life, his paintings and mixed media compositions are vivid expressions of the human condition with all its travails.
Alex Berdysheff was born in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, in 1964. In 1988 he graduated from the Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts with a diploma in Graphic Design, going on in 1990 to study at the Glasgow School of Art under a post-graduate exchange programme, where he held his first exhibition. His talent was recognised immediately by his professors and his surrealistic paintings were considered to show much future promise. Since these beginnings he has participated in solo and group exhibitions in England, Scotland, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Brazil, the USA, Canada, Kazakhstan and, of course, Georgia. In 2000 he won the John Murray Thomson Award at the Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition and in 2006 he won first prize at the Coca-Cola Tbilisi Jazz Festival Poster Contest.
Berdysheff’s work is truly immersed in the surrealistic canon. Originally a philosophical, cultural and political phenomenon developed out of the Dada movement, it was expressed mainly through paintings and literature. From its epicentre in Paris, surrealism gradually expanded during the 1920s, gathering many artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers and became an international creative genre in itself. Many artists became involved in the movement, such as Dali, Ernst, Miró, de Chirico and Magritte. These and other artists’ work were at times outlandish, bizarre, eerie or downright weird, strange and fantastic. But so is the human psyche, and these artists were using painting techniques that allowed the unconscious, the id, the alter ego or the dreaming spirit to express themselves; the work was the conception of these dreamscapes.
In viewing Berdysheff’s creations, one is immediately aware that he is a ‘traditional’ surrealist, if such a thing can exist. His work echoes that of Dali, Miró et al and, apart from the occasional reference to Picasso’s cubism, shows no compromise with other genres of art. Each image, be it a painting, a mixed media creation or a digital work, is unique unto itself and contains all the illogic, incongruity, abstraction and imagination one would expect in the field; and yet they are very aesthetic and they communicate.
Profoundly emotive, the themes and tones of his work are as varied and diverse as the canvasses themselves, ranging from meta- physical paintings to social and human issues in which defiance or violent pathos coupled with deep scepticism stand in opposition to the peaceful. Some of his compositions are full of sentimentality, melancholy and sadness, some are laced with irony or humour, but he can also be whimsical.
The artist’s digital works are composed of objects created by himself and photographed, which are then layered together and digitally composed into incredibly dramatic and startling images. Many (not all) are black and white with one dominant colour. In one or two pieces, the artist appears in the background.
Berdysheff himself says, “My art is just a pessimistic game. I create worlds where identifiable and abstract objects co-exist, interacting beyond any physical or logical limits. Chaos and deformation on the one hand, and sharp lines and precisely rendered details on the other, are my main aesthetic concepts; they also reveal the invisible tension and eternal struggle between or inside all forms of matter.”
July 2, 2014