Biography

SOPHIA KINTZURASHVILI artist, book designer, illustrator, author

Tbilisi, Georgia

Is nominated to the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2015Grounds for nomination: While still a student, Sophia Kintsurashvili distinguished herself by her originality and innovative thinking, which was at odds with the Soviet aesthetics and often resulted in severe criticism. Several generations have been raised with her artwork for children’s books and magazines, as well as school textbooks. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Sophia Kintsurashvili has been actively involved in shaping the modern Georgian publishing industry and promoting the kind of children’s literature that would be free from Soviet ideological constraints.

www.kintsurashvili.com

Education

Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Art, Department of Graphic Art

Professional Experience:

2011-present Professor at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art

2000-present Co-founder of Varvaridze Design Group www.varvaridze.com

1997-present Co-founder of the Graphic Design Association www.graphicdesignassosiation.net

1974-present Member of the Georgian Artists Union

Main Activities:

Book design and illustration; over the years had illustrated more than 70 books for children and adults, textbooks and magazines for children.

1099-2016 Was working at Project as an author: Georgian Written Language and Script. History, Modern Age (published in 2016),

2011 Organized series of art workshops for refugee children across Georgia,

2010 Organized workshop about Swedish children book illustrator and author Anna Hoglund and Kajsa Gordan for students of Academy of Art,

2009-10 Participated in a Swedish-Georgian workshop for children’s book authors and illustrators. As a result the book “The Box” (Bakur Sulakauri Publishing).

Important Exhibitions:

2016 Exhibition for Blind People “We see with our fingers”, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi;

2015-17 Frankfurt Book Fair

2013 Group exhibition, Art Center of the Academy of Fine Art, Tbilisi;

1998 International Triennial COLOR IN GRAPHIC ART 98, State Art gallery, Torun, Poland;

1998 Group exhibition, Spike Island, Bristol, UK;

1998 International Triennial COLOR IN GRAPHIC ART 97, State Art Gallery, Torun, Poland;

1997 Two-Person Exhibition, International Images Gallery, PA, USA;

1996 Joint Exhibition, Modern Art Center TESSANDRA, Gallery TMS, Tbilisi;

1996 Exhibition of the 4 Georgian Artists, Somerset, UK;

1996 ICON AND PERCEPTION, International Modern Art Center, Tbilisi;

1996 MEGAUNIVERSE Exhibition-Action, TMS Gallery, Tbilisi;

1995 Georgian Art, Arts Center, Baku, Azerbaijan;

1994 Exhibition of Georgian Art, Copenhagen, Denmark;

1993 Art of Georgia, Franche Comte, Tourinnes la Grosse, Belgium;

1992 1st International Mini print Exhibition, Juniper Gallery, Napa Art Center, CA, USA;

1991 Georgian Graphic, Kunsthalle Berlin, Germany;

1991 International Biennial of Print, Sapporo, Japan;

1991 International Print Exhibition Miniature 6, Fredrikstad, Norway;

1990 The 16th International Independent Exhibition of Print, Kanagava prefecture Gallery, Japan;

1990 The 3rd International Art of Today Exhibition, Budapest, Hungary;

1990 Georgian Modern Graphic, Budapest, Hungary;

1990 Georgian Avant-Gard, St. Petersburg; Russia;

1990 The 5th International Exhibition Petit format de Papier, Belgium;

1990 The 15th International Independent Exhibition of Prints, Kanagava, Japan;

1990 12th International Biennial of Prints Art exhibition center, Krakow, Poland;

1980-78 International Biennial of Graphic Design, the Moravian Gallery, Brno, Czechoslovakia

Awards/Grants

2013, 2009 grant for Project of the book Georgian Written Language and Script. History, Modern Age. Ministry of Culture of Georgia,

2009 award for the best design 2009 for Paata Kurdovanidze’s book Georgian-Abkhazian Album (Published by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia)

Collections

Tbilisi State Museum of Modern Art;

Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey, USA;

Pushkin Museum, Moscow, Russia;

Napa Art Center’s Museum, CA, USA;

Musee du Petit Format, CUT-DES-SARTS (Couvin), Belgium;

Museum of Contemporary Graphic Art, Kanagava, Japan;

Museum of Contemporary Graphic Art, Fredrikstad, Norway.