Erna Dolmazova

Portrait
Transformation Forms
From the series of Old Shoes

Erna Dolmazova (1975)
Erna, a Georgian born Armenian artist, was one of my older friends at J.Nikoladze Art College in Tbilisi. Towards the end of Nineties, the school started offering a bachelor's degree: three years of academic studies with a high level of classical painting and drawing. Erna took part of this program (afterwards she was teaching there), and as a college student I was amazed by her techniques and unique personality. She reminded me of Sergo Parajanov's characters from The Color of Pomegranates and Ashik Kerib.
Today there is an empty building of Nikoladze, no art college and no bachelor's degree, only sentiments of generations and a feeling of disappointment.
In 2003 Erna had her first solo exhibition at the famous Art Gallery Sharden (Tbilisi) where she presented her paintings (mostly nude female figure) painted inside the soles of old shoes. She also took part in group exhibitions such as "Female Fantasies" at the N-Gallery; "Actual Dreams" in Carvasla and much more.
Erna is currently collaborating with Actual Art and teaches painting.