🎨 Kutaisi Street Art: A Guide to Murals in the Old Town and Campus
🎨 Things to Know Before Your Walk
| 📍 Location | The artworks are scattered throughout the city, with the largest clusters located in the historical center and on the university campus |
| 🎓 KIU Campus | Seven murals by international artists on the grounds of Kutaisi International University |
| 🌍 Festivals | Most of the iconic works appeared thanks to Tbilisi Mural Fest and the local Niko Movement |
| 💰 Admission | Free, all artworks are located on open public facades |
🧭 Who Will Find This Article Useful
This guide is useful for those who have already explored the street art of Tbilisi and Batumi and want to discover what makes Kutaisi different. It is also helpful for anyone simply walking around the city who wants to understand the meaning behind its colorful murals and street art. The guide will also be useful for visitors planning to explore the university campus separately from the historic city center.
📜 How street art came to Kutaisi
The first notable murals in Kutaisi appeared in 2016, when the French artist Vinie painted a wall in the historic center as part of the International Contemporary Art Festival.
The city's truly large-scale murals were painted later, when, in 2020, the organizers of the Tbilisi Mural Fest began collaborating with the new Kutaisi International University. This led to the creation of a separate KIU Mural Fest on campus, where renowned international artists are invited annually.
At the same time, the city hosted the local Niko Movement festival, where Georgian artists painted murals with themes closer to the local context.
Today, works are scattered throughout the city: from portraits of famous Kutaisi natives to abstract compositions by lesser-known artists.
🎓 Kutaisi International University Campus
Seven murals on the university campus were created thanks to the KIU Mural Fest, which, since 2020, has been inviting international artists on par with the Tbilisi Mural Fest. This is the densest cluster of street art in the city, but it's located away from the tourist center.
🎨 Care
📍 Kutaisi International University Campus
| 🖌️ Project | UNFPA "Men Care" Campaign |
| 📅 Context | 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign |
| 📍 Location | Kutaisi International University Campus |
The mural was created as part of the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) "Men Care" campaign, which promotes fathers' involvement in raising children.
The work was created during the 16 Days of International Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence. Similar murals on the same theme also appeared in Tbilisi, Akhaltsikhe, and Ozurgeti.
🎨 Trust
📍 Kutaisi International University Campus
| 🖌️ Artists | Innerfields (Germany) |
| 💬 Concept | A Charlie Chaplin quote about kindness being more important than machines |
| 📍 Location | Kutaisi International University Campus |
The work by the German group Innerfields is based on Charlie Chaplin's words that humanity needs kindness and humanity more than machines and calculation.
The mural is part of the KIU Mural Fest, a festival that has annually invited renowned street artists to decorate campus facades since 2020.
🎨 Knowledge is power
📍 Kutaisi International University Campus
| 🖌️ Artist | Matthias Mross (Germany) |
| 💬 Inspiration | The royal printing house of King Vakhtang VI |
| 📍 Location | Kutaisi International University Campus |
The mural's author, German artist Matthias Mross, was inspired by the design of the first scientific publications of the printing house founded by King Vakhtang VI, one of the first printing workshops in Georgia.
The title of the work directly refers to the printing house's educational mission.
🎨 Untitled (Case Maclaim)
📍 Kutaisi International University Campus
| 🖌️ Artist | Case Maclaim (Germany) |
| 🖼️ Style | Photorealistic hands and palms |
| 📍 Location | Kutaisi International University Campus |
German artist Case Maclaim is world-renowned for his photorealistic murals focusing on human hands and arms, a technique that has become his signature style.
He has participated in several editions of the Tbilisi Mural Fest and painted murals not only in Kutaisi but also at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts.
🎨 A girl with a cat
📍 Kutaisi International University Campus
| 🖌️ Artist | Artez (Serbia) |
| 💬 Original Title | Favorite Distraction |
| 📍 Location | Kutaisi International University Campus |
Serbian artist Artez titled his work "Favorite Distraction": the mural depicts a girl reading a book while her cat demands attention.
The artist said he wanted to remind students on campus about pets and the cozy moments they have left behind at home.
Two more campus murals, less well-known:
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🎨 I Think Too Much | 📍 KIU Campus | A symbolic mural exploring anxiety and the stream of consciousness. No officially confirmed information about the artist has been found in publicly available sources. |
| 🎨 Feather | 📍 KIU Campus | A feather painted on the campus façade. No documented information about its author or concept has been found, so it is best viewed together with the neighboring artworks on the KIU campus. |
🎨 Portraits and cultural symbols of the old city
The historic center of Kutaisi houses some of the city's most recognizable murals: portraits of famous locals and works referencing local mythology.
🎨 Bas-relief of Colchis
📍 The historic center of Kutaisi
| 🖌️ Artist | Judith de Leeuw (Netherlands) |
| 📅 Year | 2024 |
| 📜 Theme | The myth of Medea and Jason |
Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw created the work in 2024 as part of the Tbilisi Mural Fest, which that year for the first time featured murals in five Georgian cities.
The plot alludes to the myth of Medea and Jason, the Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece, a legend set in ancient Colchis, in what is now Western Georgia.
Read the blog about Georgia's stone chronicle at the Green Market →
🎨 Rezo Gabriadze
📍 The historic center of Kutaisi · Open on Google Maps →
| 👤 Dedicated to | Rezo Gabriadze (1936–2021) |
| 🎭 Known for | Film director, writer, sculptor, and puppeteer |
| 📍 Birthplace | Kutaisi |
The mural is dedicated to Rezo Gabriadze, a director, writer, artist, and puppeteer born in Kutaisi and founder of the famous Puppet Theater in Tbilisi.
The work is executed in the recognizable style of Gabriadze's own drawings, featuring delicate, almost graphic sketches.
🎨 The beauty of Kutaisi
📍 The historic center of Kutaisi
| 🖌️ Artist | Vinie (France) |
| 📅 Year | 2016 |
| 🌍 Festival | International Contemporary Art Festival |
French artist Vinie created this mural in 2016, one of the first notable examples of street art in Kutaisi.
Her works feature a signature character: a girl with large eyes and bright, almost cartoonish features, recognizable from her murals around the world.
🎨 Zurab Sakandelidze
📍 The central part of Kutaisi
| 👤 Dedicated to | Zurab Sakandelidze (1945–2004) |
| 🏆 Achievement | 1972 Olympic basketball champion |
| 📍 Birthplace | Kutaisi |
The mural is dedicated to Zurab Sakandelidze, a basketball player born in Kutaisi who won the 1972 Olympics with the USSR national team—the same team whose victory over the United States in the final made sports history and inspired the film "Going Vertical."
Sakandelidze played for Dinamo Tbilisi and was considered one of the fastest guards of his time.
Other portraits and symbols of the historic center, briefly:
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🎨 Wall of Love | 📍 Historic Center | Kutaisi's version of the Montmartre "Wall of Love": the Georgian phrase "Me Shen Mikvarkhar" ("I love you") painted in white on a black background, located next to Vinie's mural. |
| 🎨 Grandmother | 📍 Historic Center | A warm portrait of an elderly woman. No documented information about the artist or the history of the mural has been found. |
| 🎨 Cosmic Girl | 📍 Historic Center | A vivid, high-contrast mural depicting a girl in a cosmic style. The artist and year of creation are not documented in publicly available sources. |
| 🎨 National Library Mural | 📍 Historic Center | The mural is dedicated to books and knowledge, fitting the library façade. No documented information about the artist has been found. |
🌿 Nature and mood
The five works are scattered across different areas of the city and are united more by a common mood than by a specific festival or artist. They are compiled in the table below:
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🌳 In the Forest | 📍 Southern Part of the City | A forest landscape mural. No documented information about the artist has been found. |
| 🦩 Crane and Pomegranate | 📍 Southern Part of the City | A crane and a pomegranate—symbols frequently found in Georgian culture, with the pomegranate traditionally representing abundance. |
| ✨ Fireflies | 📍 South of the Historic Center | A decorative, atmospheric mural on a dark background that looks especially impressive at dusk or in photos with warm lighting. |
| 🌸 Flowers | 📍 Western Part of the City | A floral ornament featuring a simple decorative design without a distinctive artistic style. |
| 💭 I Miss You | 📍 Southern Part of the City | One of the few murals in the city featuring a direct text message, centered on longing and separation. The artist has not been documented. |
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🔥 Am1ran1 | 📍 Southern Part of the City | A reference to Amirani, the Georgian mythological hero often compared to Prometheus. Like Prometheus, he was chained to a mountain for stealing fire from the gods. |
| 🧵 Georgian Ornament | 📍 Western Part of the City | A traditional Georgian ornamental pattern reinterpreted as street art. |
🎨 Local signature style
Two works outside the major festival circuit that are less well known:
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🎨 Abstraction (skirl) | 📍 Western Part of the City | An abstract composition signed "skirl," presumably the artist's pseudonym. No further documented information has been found. |
| 🎨 Dem51 Street Art | 📍 South of the Historic Center | A mural by an artist using the name Dem51. It appears to be a local independent work rather than part of an international street art festival. |
Plan a separate visit to the KIU campus, as it is located on university grounds rather than along the main walking routes through the city center. Street art is often temporary, and some murals may fade, be restored, or disappear during building renovations. If you are traveling to see a specific artwork, it is worth checking the latest photos online before your visit.
🛣️ Kutaisi Street Art Route
The same spots, grouped into three zones: the historic center, scattered spots throughout the city, and a separate section of the Kutaisi International University campus, which makes sense to explore separately.
🏁 Why go see street art in Kutaisi
Street art here functions as an informal open-air museum: portraits of Rezo Gabriadze and Zurab Sakandelidze tell the story of famous natives of the city, the bas-reliefs of Colchis and Amirani recall the myths of Western Georgia, and the university campus showcases the international street art scene within a Georgian context. If time is short, start in the historic center, where the most recognizable works are concentrated, and save the KIU campus for a separate visit.
ℹ️ Information on the condition and state of preservation of murals is current at the time of publication. Street art is not permanent, so it's best to check its current state before making a special trip to a specific site.
Which mural in Kutaisi impressed you the most? Was it the portrait of Rezo Gabriadze, the artwork by Case Maclaim on the KIU campus, or one of the city's lesser-known discoveries? Share your thoughts in the comments—we read every one ❤️
❓ Frequently asked questions
💬 This guide covers 24 pieces, including seven works on the Kutaisi International University campus. It isn't an exhaustive list of all street art in the city, but it covers the most notable and interesting works.
💬 Most of the recognisable pieces sit in the historic centre: the portraits of Rezo Gabriadze and Zurab Sakandelidze, the Colchis bas-relief and the French artist Vinie's mural are all a couple of minutes' walk from each other.
💬 Yes, if international street art interests you: it has works by Case Maclaim, Innerfields and Artez, all Tbilisi Mural Fest participants. It's a separate trip though, the campus sits away from the historic centre.
💬 Among them French artist Vinie, Germans Case Maclaim, Innerfields and Mathias Mross, Serbian artist Artez, and Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw. Georgian artists created some of the pieces too, though information about them is harder to find in open sources.
💬 To famous people born in Kutaisi: film director and puppeteer Rezo Gabriadze, and Olympic basketball champion Zurab Sakandelidze.
💬 The historic centre is easy to cover on foot in a couple of hours. Add the university campus and the scattered spots around town, and you'll need a car and most of a day.
💬 No, some works, like Dem51 Street Art or Abstraction (skirl), look like independent projects outside the major festival programmes, though there isn't much documented information about these artists in open sources.
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È incredibile come la street art riesca a trasformare un luogo, aggiungendo un senso di vita e di comunità. Ma mi chiedo, c'è qualche murales in particolare che ti ha colpito di più?
מה באמת גורם למוזרי רחוב להיות כל כך מחוברים לקהילה שלהם?