About

Uta Bekaia 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.

Bekaia began his creative journey studying Industrial Design at the Tbilisi Mtsire Academy, a foundation that shaped his conceptual and material practice. His career has been marked by key milestones, including residencies at ART OMI, the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) in New York, and Garikula Art Residency in Georgia.

Blending traditional craftsmanship with contemporary narratives, Bekaia’s work has been showcased at a wide range of venues—from the Window Project in Tbilisi and the “Pickle Bar” in Berlin to the Museum of Modern Art in Tbilisi and the Biennials of Istanbul and Kyiv.

His exhibitions have been hosted by notable galleries including ERTI Gallery (Tbilisi), the Silk Museum (Tbilisi), The Lodge Gallery (New York), Marisa Newman Projects (New York), and the Center for Contemporary Art (Batumi).

Bekaia also works extensively in performance. He has organized public parades for the Tbilisi City Hall’s Tbilisoba Festival, participated in the opening ceremony of the UNESCO World Book Capital in Dubai, and performed at festivals like Turn Park and Art Park in New York, engaging diverse audiences beyond the gallery setting.

In 2019, he co-founded Fungus, a creative collective in Tbilisi that provides a collaborative platform for LGBTQ+ artists, fostering visibility and empowerment within Georgia’s cultural landscape.

PRESS

  • The New York Times: “As Georgia Decides Its Future, Artists Are Worried About Theirs”

  • Fucking Young: Enchanted Realms and Empowered Voices: The Artistry of Uta Bekaia by Adriano Batista

  • W Magazine: Fungus, an Art Collective in Tbilisi, Thrives in the Light by Arthur Lubow

  • MoMA [Post]: An Underground Bridge to Georgian Collectiveness: Finding a Tribe Through Collective Trauma by Vija Skangale

  • FoxyLab New York: Uta Bekaia and Queerness as the Starting Point of Art by Tatiana Stolyarova

  • Stirworld: Tbilisi Art Fair at the Expo Georgia Boosts Art and Culture of the Region by Daria Kravchuk

  • The Calvert Journal: Fungus: The Queer Georgian Art Collective Destroying Toxic Social Norms by Portia Kentish

  • Schön!: Fungus | Tbilisi Creatives on the Rise by Katharina Baron & Braden Bjella

  • ArtAsiaPacific: Tbilisi: Roses from the Rubble, Part 1 by HG Masters

  • The Art Newspaper: The 2nd Edition of Tbilisi Art Fair by Andrei Riymar

  • Le Quotidien de L’art: Tbilisi Art Fair: Une Ouverture sur les Mystères du Caucase by Rafael Pic

  • Arts in Bushwick: Precarious Constructs: A Dance with the Maelstrom by Jenjoy Roybal

  • Indigo: Night Intervention of Uta Bekaia and Levan Mindiashvili by Sophia Kilassonia (Print)

  • Liberali: Salt, Charcoal, and Skin – Night Intervention of Bekaia and Mindiashvili by David Bukhrikidze (Print)

  • Huffington Post: Multimedia Reflections on Georgian Heritage and Identity by Katerina Zherebtsova

RESIDENCIES

2025

  • Costume and Collapse, Ria Keburia Foundation, Georgia

  • Pāvilosta Art Residency, Latvia

2023

  • Invisible, South Caucasian Community-Based Residency, Kachreti, Georgia

2019

  • Art OMI, Hudson, NY

2017

  • MAD Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY

2014 & 2013

  • Garikula Art Residency, Georgia