IRMA KUSIANI

figurative PAINTER

Irma Kusiani (aka Ilona Kustan) was born in 1971. She often moved between Georgia and Ukraine and refers to both as her motherlands - feeling a sort of childhood sentimentality for each country. From 1985 to 1990 she attended the Applied Arts College in the department of ceramics. From 1990 to 1995 she continued her education in the Art Academy, majoring in industrial design. During her studies she took part in numerous fashion shows, both in her homeland and abroad, and won two major awards for her ballroom attire designs.

In 1995, just before graduation, she participated in an art exhibition with a group of fellow graduates of the Academy. Unexpectedly to her, most of the attention at the exhibition was not focused on the works of the Department of Fine Art students, but rather to her paintings. The color, the themes and the imagination of her work captivated audiences – and Irma’s career as a fine artist began.

Irma was invited to exhibit at the President’s Palace in Kiev, then in the Parliament. Her paintings were purchased by the President’s Administration and given as presents to foreign leaders and dignitaries.

Irma is married to a fellow artist from Georgia, has two children, but despite the demands of motherhood, she continues to paint every day and enjoys tremendous success in both her homelands and abroad. Irma and her family now reside in Tbilisi, Georgia.