🎨 Dissolution art gallery in Tbilisi - book a visit, catch underground art!

“I wanted – and I created in Tbilisi – what I myself lacked: a place where art explodes the usual framework,”admits curator and founder David Feinstein.

Dissolution is a piece of New York avant-garde dissolved in the old walls of Kostava Avenue.
The lights here don't flicker because of renovations - that's the idea!

🧭 What you will learn in 3 minutes:

• 📍 Where the gallery is hidden
• 🌆 Why the founder moved the concept from New York to Tbilisi
• 👩‍🎨 Who exhibits and why they don't turn off the neon even during the day
• 📧 How to sign up so as not to turn away at a closed door
• ☕ Where to get coffee after the vernissage and a place to stay if you sit down for an artist-talk
• 💡 Life hacks from regulars and answers to tricky questions

🖌️ Dissolution Gallery - a brief overview of the space itself

Dissolution in Tbilisi is a labyrinth of bold ideas: street art coexists with VR installations, classical painting argues with the aromas of biomorphic sculptures. The site appeared in 2022, when New York curator David Feinstein decided to “dissolve” the boundaries between local and global art — and turned a former industrial office on Kostava Street into a flexible art loft. Here, each project does not last long, but manages to dissolve! the usual frameworks of perception: from ecology to post-irony.

• 🏙️ Location: underground space on Kostavy, where an industrial "box" has become a white cube for art.
• 🚀 Philosophy: to give a voice to the young and bring together Georgian and foreign authors on one stage.
• 🪄 Format: admission by appointment only → the curator personally accompanies guests and reveals the backstory of the exhibits.
• 🗓️ Rhythm: every month - chamber exhibitions, performances and artist-talks that gather the young art community of the city.
• 💬 Atmosphere: warm conversations until midnight, impromptu DJ sets, the smell of fresh coffee and the noise of projectors in the semi-darkness.

🔍 What else is important to know

• 🎭 The gallery “dissolves” the rules: instead of classic halls — a former industrial space, instead of boring vernissages — performances with VR masks and dialogues between viewers and artists.
• 🔄 Expositions change monthly: today — silver fragments, tomorrow — live aromas and children's pigments — there are no repeats!
• 🌐 International exchange: New York, Berlin, Tokyo and Tbilisi conduct a conversation in the common language of contemporary art thanks to joint curatorial projects.

🤓 Interesting facts

• 🚀 Turbo-speed start
  The first exhibition opened 90 days after receiving the keys to the premises — for the Tbilisi art scene, this is almost a cosmic pace!
• 🌍 Global mix
  Over two years, the gallery has accepted 20+ projects by authors from nine countries — from Japan and Argentina to Lithuania and France.
• 🕯️ Night vibe
  Vernissages begin at dusk: the space is illuminated by neon and “lava” lamps, and the background is created by a vinyl ambient set by local DJs.
• 🪄 Transformer loft
  The hall can be “folded” and “expanded”: almost all the walls are on wheels, so each exhibition gets a unique geometry.
• 📡 Live broadcast
  Artist-talk is broadcast on Instagram Live: even if you are in a different time zone, you can ask the artist a question in real time.
• ♻️ Green Ethics
  The decorations are printed on recycled cardboard, and the invitations are made from wild grass seeds - pick them up and plant them!

🗺️ How to get there

• 🚇 Metro: station "Rustaveli" (red line) → 7 min walk up Kostavy.
• 🚌 Buses: routes No. 10, 37, 51 to the stop "მ. კოსტავას / Merab Kostava St."
• 🚕Taxi: "Bolt" or "Yandex" - 10-12 GEL from the Old Town.
• 🚗 By car: parking in the yard is not guaranteed - take a car sharing and catch a free space on the neighboring streets.

💡Lifehack: the entrance to the courtyard is inconspicuous - look for a gray metal door with a white arrow "D".

☕ Where to get some caffeine and spend the night after artist-talk

• ☕ Coffee on the go: right around the corner you'll find a few small coffee spots with filter and alternative options — enough to discuss what you saw and post a story.
• 🍰 Sweet refreshment: most of the nearby bakeries are open until midnight, so a piece of baklava or matcha cheesecake will definitely save you from hungry inspiration.
• 🛏️ No-fuss overnight stay: within a ten-minute walk there are hostels and boutique hotels for every budget — from capsule "just a bed and Wi-Fi" to loft apartments with a view of the avenue.
• 🕓 24/7 option: if you're stuck at a night performance, look for apartments with self-check-in — this is the norm in the center and you don't need to wake up the administrator.

Lifehack for “late birds”
If the artist-talk drags on, call a bolt (local car sharing) or share a taxi with other guests — the rates are reasonable at night.

💡 Sign up in advance, grab a couple of lari for a donation, and let art wash over you like a neon wave at Dissolution Gallery!

💬 Share your impressions
Tell us in the comments which work in Dissolution "dissolved" you! Your review will help other travelers and artists!