Tbilisi really ought to be better known for its street art. I have yet to see any sort of street art tour, but there’s a fair bit of organization and space to work with. Here are some of the more interesting pieces I’ve discovered throughout town.
When the aliens land, I trust they’ll be able to make something of this.
As you might expect from someone that calls himself Lamb, the animal does tend to be seen in most of his works. A pretty good interview is worth reading over here.
So this is one of those pieces where I don’t know the whole story… but I can guess based on a nearby area:
One long stretch of underpass is a who’s-who of Disney / Pixar characters, complete with some bubble writing underneath that makes Aladdin’s favorite kleptomaniac monkey look like he’s smoking something…
Another area from the same underpass, complete with a quartet of Madagascar characters.
Get a selfie with some famous musicians (including a local one).
Georgia won medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics in wrestling, weightlifting, and judo.
OK, so now we’re getting to some good stuff. Love the blending work here. Would love to credit the artist here, but the words in the corner just say ‘Love conquers all…’
A floating space whale made of rainbows amongst the planets? Sign me up!
Sabknot, if you’re reading this, you rock. I’m picturing a world where this blue creature with an eye like that exists, and all the stuff it could see / do with it…
Some more Sabknot for you, just a little further down from the previous shot.
A family resemblance, perhaps?
Some more odd-looking characters straight out of a psychedelic comic book…
A sea turtle and more menacing looking dude with… wait, is that supposed to be garlic or khinkali, the Georgian dumpling?
I love how the artist here worked with the texture of the doors. Shoutout to TPN.
These seriously look like something I’d love to see as part of a game sometime. Not sure how to transcribe that name / logo, though (WLJ?)
A man’s prophecy about the end of the world, or something else? Times like this, I really wish I had the fuller story.
This is one of those longer pieces that goes on for several meters
It’s such a striking photo that I’m currently using it on my home page.
If you read Russian, this panel near one of the entrances is for you. If you can’t, look for the English tab in the lower left corner:
Oh. LOL…
This chicken’s ready for business.
A giraffe taking a bath — maybe someone’s got a rhyming thing going on.
Where to go to see street art
While the scene is still pretty new (most of what’s pictured above was installed 2016 or 2017), these three underpasses and one large building are easily the best places to start since they’re pretty easy to reach and full of great stuff:
- Underneath the Nikoloz Baratashvili Bridge (as a street address goes for Google Maps, 12 Nikoloz Baratashvili Bridge will get you pretty close). GPS: 41.696982, 44.808264..
- The Vake Park underpass (just north of Vake Park, 41 Ilia Chavchavadze Ave). GPS: 41.712075, 44.751651.
- The Monument of Heroes has a number of underpasses amongst the large, multi-level roundabout. It’s east of the Tbilisi Zoo (GPS: 41.713201, 44.782480)
- Fabrika, the hostel / bar / board game cafe / co-working space, is decorated almost all the way around. 8 Egnate Ninoshvili St, T’bilisi (GPS: 41.709510, 44.802853).
Other underpasses contain plenty of tags and some bubble writing, but must haven’t (yet) received the coordinated efforts seen at the ones above.
Ready for something else to see while in Tbilisi? Check out an old-school Soviet-era monument and a brand new Chinese mall — a tale of two untouristy destinations in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Prefer some more street art? This is a great overview of street art in Tartu, Estonia.
Over to you
Traveled to Tbilisi? Seen any cool street art? Share.
