David Apakidze

David Apakidze (born in 1998 in Poti, Georgia; based in Tbilisi, Georgia) is a visual artist and a curator. He co-founded the Fungus Project, one of the pioneer Caucasia-based queer art platforms, which also includes Fungus Gallery. In his artistic research, David explores contemporary culture in relation to identity, making particular focus on queering Georgian Orthodox imagery in order to uncover queer codes within Georgian culture. David Apaklidze studied Art History at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, where his focus on medieval Orthodox art profoundly influenced his artistic perspective. Much of David’s art and activity engage with queering Georgian Orthodox iconography, creating new dialogues in respect of religious and cultural symbols. David’s practice spans diverse media, including sculpture, embroidery, and printmaking. Recently he has focused on stained glass, seeking to popularize the medium in Georgia while deconstructing medieval iconography to give it contemporary relevance. David’s works often feature bold, direct representations of queerness and queer love, blending activism and art. David Apakidze’s primary aim as an artist is to challenge the hegemonic culture of Georgia and resist its homophobic governmental regime, in which the queer community is often used as a political weapon. Through his work David strives to create spaces of resistance and visibility for the marginalized queer voices in Georgian society.

Date of residency: 1. 3. – 31. 3. 2025

RESIDENCY PROJECT

The Last Basilica is an artwork that reimagines Georgia’s first basilica, Bolnisi’s Sioni (built in the 5th century), as a symbolic last church before the end of times. This maquette challenges the relevance of Christianity and Western values in the contemporary world, reflecting on how these once-dominant principles have often failed humanity. In the face of today’s political climate—marked by the rise of right-wing ideologies—the work examines the collapse of Christian belief as a guiding force.

Materially, The Last Basilica subverts the traditional church structure by replacing stone with felt. This transformation softens the rigid masculinity of ecclesiastical architecture, introducing a handmade, feminine material deeply connected to women’s craft practices. The work also incorporates stained glass, but unlike traditional churches that draw light inward, this basilica will project light outward. In doing so, it rejects the church’s historical insularity, instead embodying an institution that radiates outward rather than hoards illumination within.

EDUCATION

2016 – 2020    Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, Art History and Theory (BA)

EXHIBITIONS

2024 Sergei Parajanov, I want to outrun my shadow, Zacheta National Gallery, Warsaw, Poland

2024    The Color of Pomegranate, Gallery Artbeat, Tbilisi, Georgia

2024    I have seen the Moon Trough the Mud that washed me, Arthouse Gori, Gori, Georgia

2023    Open Out Festival, Tromso, Norway

2023    Self-portrait by the mirror, National gallery, Tbilisi, Georgia

2022    Culture week Tbilisi, Factory Tbilisi, Bassiani. Tbilisi, Georgia

2022    SpielraumXBassiani during ADE festival, De School. Amsterdam, Netherlands

2022    Private Stages/ Public Selves by Carmen Brucic and artists of the “Bassiani”

scene”, Heart of Noise Festival, Innsbruck, Austria

2022    Co-curator and artist at Smash exhibition by Project Fungus, Tbilisi, Georgia

2022    Co-curator of Faces exhibition by Project Fungus, Tbilisi, Georgia

2021    Enjoy Transcendence exhibition by Project Fungus & Ria Keburia Art Residency, Kachreti, Georgia

2021    Queer Chronicles 2021 exhibition by Untitled Gallery & WISG, Tbilisi, Georgia

2021    Parallel residency by Propaganda Network & Lerblabor Berlin, Tbilisi, Georgia/ Berlin, Germany

2021    Co-curator and Artist at Antifashion show by Project Fungus released in Frames of Kyiv Fashion & Art Days 2021, Kyiv, Ukraine

All information is current as of February 21, 2025