Mariam Kvashilava (b. 1997, Tbilisi, Georgia) is a New York-based painter whose work draws from cultural memory, personal narrative, and material intuition. Her layered compositions merge traditional techniques with contemporary forms, creating a dialogue between the past and the present.
Mariam was awarded the NCN full scholarship to study in the United Kingdom and earned her BFA with honors in Art History and Archaeology from Sorbonne University in Paris. She recently completed her MFA at the New York Academy of Art.
Her practice is a contemplative investigation into time, space, and identity. Each painting serves as less depiction and more resonance - inviting viewers to engage with the invisible forces that shape collective and individual experience. Through her textured and intuitive mark-making, Kvashilava gives form to emotional memory, embodied language, and the shifting narratives that define belonging.
My work is rooted in both personal and collective histories. Having left my home country alone at 15 and navigating life across five others by the age of 22, I’ve become attuned to the invisible forces that shapea identity, especially in women’s lives.
I take note of the patterns: the way women describe themselves, what remains unspoken, and the emotional inheritance passed down quietly. Through layered, multidisciplinary compositions, I explore displacement, memory, embodied language, and emotional landscapes. Each piece becomes a composite of internal and external realities shaped by intention, intuition, and the guidance of the materials themselves.
Mariam.Kvashilava@gmail.com New York, NY 10013
