Art Avia Project by Avtandil Gurgenidze (2 , Paper)

Avtandil Gurgenidze’s Art Aviation Project

The Art Aviation Project is a fusion of aviation and contemporary art, where an ordinary in-flight item becomes a canvas for a drawing. The works are based on standard hygiene kits that passengers see on every airplane.

The idea came to him right during a flight—when the artist was looking for any surface to sketch on. The result is a series of works, some of which were created right in the sky, and others after landing. Each of these bags preserves not only the image but also the very moment of the flight.

“The desire to draw arises constantly. It is not subject to reason or common sense; it lives in every second of my life. It is an instinct, a call, the meaning of things, the essence of my existence. It’s hard to resist when looking at the surface and structure. When you have pencils or markers at hand and you realize that in just a moment—a new image, a new scene, new color combinations will appear.

I travel often, so airplanes are one of the places where I spend quite a long time waiting for takeoff or landing. Travel inspires. And it inspires not only artists. That is the essence of the sky and these iron birds—to fill with dreams every person, everyone who breaks away from the Earth and finds themselves in a state unfamiliar to us—the state of flight. Once again, after fastening my seatbelt and glancing out the window, I felt an overwhelming urge to sketch. Let it be small, purely symbolic, but I must, right here and now, and specifically on this plane, transfer my inner state onto paper.

My eyes searched for a surface, a blank space where I could draw lines, add splashes of color, and make a few strokes. I found nothing nearby except the usual in-flight amenity kit, among which I spotted standard sanitary bags with a wonderful surface—so convenient and perfect for expressing my creative ideas. This is how the series of works on bags, presented at the “Art Avia” exhibition in Kyiv, came about. I drew some of them right in the sky. The rest were created after landing. I continue to explore the aviation theme, searching for new aviation surfaces and planes for my paintings. I hope to paint a few airplanes in the future.”

Avtandil Gurgenidze

There is a distinct genre in the world known as “sickness bag art”—where artists use airline vomit bags as a canvas for their work. But these are usually isolated experiments or hobby projects. In the case of Art Avia, this is already a full-fledged exhibition project that was presented at the Museum of Modern Art of Ukraine in Kyiv in 2013.

Each bag is unique. It is not a mass-produced item or a print, but a one-of-a-kind piece. Such an item works well as a unique addition to a collection or as something that truly stands out among ordinary aviation souvenirs.

You can purchase a painting by Georgian artist Avtandil Gurgenidze on our website or at our store located at 50b Khreshchatyk Street, Kyiv. We also offer delivery throughout Ukraine and worldwide.