Team

Lika Chkuaseli, Founding Director

Lika Chkuaseli is a contemporary art specialist and consultant. She received an MA from City University, London, Cultural Policy and Management (2008-09). She completed an internship program at the Metropolitan Museum, New York (2010-2012). In 2012, she was appointed the director of the Tbilisi State Academy of the Fine Arts Museum. She was the head of the international relations department of the Istanbul Art Fair (2013-2015). In 2019, she worked at the Tbilisi Art Fair, foreseeing international galleries and collectors’ relations. Since 2015, Lika Chkuaseli has been actively working as an art consultant and throughout this period numerous important private collections across Georgia were created under her supervision. In 2022, she curated the exhibition ‘Georgian art from the XX century to the present day: works from private collections’, the Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery, Tbilisi.

Ellen Kapanadze is an aspiring curator and arts manager based in Tbilisi. She obtained a BA in History of Art and Material Studies from University College London in 2013 and has since actively engaged in the field of contemporary art. Her work experience includes positions at institutions such as Sotheby's auction house and Frith Street Gallery in London (2014). She also served as an assistant curator at the Yarat Contemporary Art Center in Baku from 2015 to 2016. After returning to Tbilisi, Ellen worked at the Georgian National Book Center in 2017, contributing to Georgia's cultural program as a guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. As an independent curator, she has collaborated with numerous institutions including with the Tbilisi Photography and Multimedia Museum, notably on the online residency program called ‘Subtropical Cultures’ (2020-2021). Ellen was nominated for the GAMeC, Premio Lorenzo Bonaldi per l'Arte – EnterPrize in Italy, an international prize for young curators, in 2017. In 2018, she co-founded The Why Not Gallery, a contemporary art gallery. She was included in the  Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2020 ‘Culture and Style’.

Ata Jangulashvili, Administrative Manager

Ata Jangulashvili, a lawyer, obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Law from Tbilisi State University (2009-2013) and a master's degree from Ilia State University (2013-2015). She has undergone both practical and theoretical trainings in public procurement at the State Procurement Agency and the European Academic Center. Furthermore, she has successfully completed trainings in real estate, business registry, and advocacy. With 10 years of experience in the public sector, Ata Jangulashvili has worked in various capacities encompassing legal, financial, procurement, and administrative domains. This includes 6 years of experience in managerial roles.

Irine Jorjadze, Head of Education

Irine Jorjadze's professional background encompasses a diverse range of roles in the art field, including art education, art historical research, and publishing activities. Since 2016, she has been a member of the editorial team at the newspaper 'Danarti.' Her research interests span Georgian 20th-century art, with a focus on topics such as Zurich and Tbilisi Dada (Binz39, Cabaret Voltaire, Switzerland), Niko Pirosmanashvili's Rezeptionsgeschichte (Foundation Beyeler, Switzerland), and Georgian avant-garde (Bozar, Belgium). Over the years, she has contributed as a consultant on artistic education to the National Center for Professional Development of Teachers, specializing in school education. Additionally, she has collaborated on content development and educational programs for artistic festivals in partnership with the IDP Women's Organization of Tskaltubo. Irine has also served as the local curator for the art pedagogy student exchange program in the Caucasus region, organized by Artasfoundation. Currently, Irine holds a teaching position in art pedagogy at Ilia State University and serves as an invited lecturer at the Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), where she shares her expertise in audio-visual and media arts.