Uta Bekaia

Uta Bekaia (b. 1974, Tbilisi) is a Georgian-born multimedia artist currently based between Brooklyn and Tbilisi. His work centers on the speculative recreation of ancestral rituals, reimagined through a Queer utopian lens. Drawing inspiration from traditional crafts, Bekaia creates elaborate wearable sculptures, ceramics, tapestries, and objects, which he weaves into immersive installations, films, and live performances. Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Bekaia moved to New York in the late 1990s and has spent much of his adult life immersed in its vibrant art scene. He now divides his time between Tbilisi, New York, and cities across Europe, actively participating in international artistic collaborations.

Residency dates: 12. 5. – 30. 6. 2026

RESIDENCY PROJECT
During the residency, Uta Bekaia will develop the project “სუფრა. Sufra-national,” exploring the Georgian supra—an ancient ritual of hospitality and communal storytelling. In collaboration with Studio Alta and the Biennale Matter of Art, and together with Leah Feldman and Zaneta Vávrová, the project will take the form of a performance centered on themes of surveillance, drawing aesthetic inspiration from 1920s Dadaism and Surrealism. Bekaia’s focus will be on designing costumes, ceremonial tablecloths, and objects for the table setting.

EDUCATION
Tbilisi State Academy of Arts 1995- 1998 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025    Sufra National (Almaty Museum of Arts, Almaty, KZ)

2024    Jāņi (Into the Mountain, Berlin, DE)

2024    Mother Ship (Window Project, Tbilisi, GE)

2023     Queer Deities in Migration (Venice, IT & Barcelona, ES)

2022     My Fragile Little Rabbit (Marisa Newman Projects, New York, US)

2020     Purification (Museum of Modern Art, Tbilisi, GE)

2019     The Super Humans Trilogy (ERTI Gallery, Tbilisi, GE)

all information is valid as of April 2026

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