Sergi Tskitishvili "Samana"

Sergi Tskitishvili (Samana) is a painter whose creative journey is deeply rooted in the freedom of artistic expression and the profound depths of the human spirit.

He graduated from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts and continued his studies at the renowned Ilya Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in St. Petersburg. His relentless artistic curiosity and passion for deeper understanding have taken him around the world—from South Africa to the United States. Notably, he was invited to lecture on art at the University of Chicago.

Sergi never refers to his paintings as “works”—for him, painting is not labor but a true happiness in life. He has been devoted to abstract art since a time when abstraction was considered forbidden in the Soviet Union. Despite political and personal restrictions, he never ceased to paint. Following the collapse of the USSR, Sergi expanded his artistic practice internationally, working successfully across the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Alongside his active artistic career, Samana has participated in numerous international exhibitions. His creative philosophy is grounded in a belief that “a person’s calling is to bring joy to others”—a principle vividly reflected in his unique color palettes and his distinctive use of line, splash, and stroke.

Samana’s art is built on personal freedom and the visual transformation of the inner world. For him, art is not about following the rules—it’s about dissolving them completely, creating a space where color and line express desires, fears, and emotions that words cannot convey.

His paintings are born in that space of freedom. Each canvas reveals extraordinary depth and an endless world of details. These are works you can return to day after day—always discovering something new. While looking at his paintings, you feel that the entire universe can fit within a few lines.

Sergi has lived and worked in South Africa and has collaborated with architecture Zaha Hadid. Also he created a large-scale mural for the Armani SPA in Abu Dhabi.

Selected International Collaborations:

• Zaha Hadid – Collaboration on architectural concept in the Republic of South Africa
• Giorgio Armani – Large-format mural created for Armani SPA in Abu Dhabi (UAE)
• Hong Kong – Mural created on the wall of city
• Private Collections – His works are held in private collections all over the world.