16 Finest Street Art in Kutaisi with a Map

Kutaisi, one of my favorite cities in Georgia, is slowly but surely undergoing a remarkable transformation. Kutaisi has quietly embraced a vibrant new identity in recent years, one brushstroke at a time. What was once a city known primarily for its historical significance is now emerging as a thriving hub for a different kind of history – street art. 

Since the city is undergoing a much-deserved artist makeover, there is enough street art in Kutaisi to devote a whole blog post to it. These giant murals tell stories, evoke emotions, and breathe new life into the city’s walls. 

Unlike Tbilisi and Batumi, Kutaisi still has a long way to go, but I am glad things are changing here. Most of them are done within the Niko Movement and Tbilisi Mural Festival, which brings local and international artists to create stunning works of art. 

I have tried to find as much information about each piece to give you a bigger picture and perspective behind these pieces. However, some street art in Kutaisi is just cute and beautiful, and while they might not have a unique story, I still decided to include them in the list. 

Disclaimer: There are a few new murals I have yet to see, and including them here without double-checking the locations and posting someone else’s photos seemed unauthentic to my way of providing these guides. 

Street art in Kutaisi map

For better navigation, I have created a Kutaisi street art list on Google Maps so that you can find them easily. You can save it and refer to it whenever needed. 

16 stunning street art in Kutaisi

Various murals at Mon Plaisir and პატარა ქუჩა (tiny street) 

Let’s start this street art in Kutaisi post with one of the central pieces located at Tiny Street or Patara Kucha in Georgian once you enter the Mon Plaisir arch from Tsisperi Kantselebi or Tsminda Nino streets. 

Here, you’ll find Kutaisi’s version of Montmarte’s “Wall of Love,” where the Georgian phrase for “I Love You” or “Me Shen Mikvarkhar” is written with white paint on a black background. 

Right in front of it is the charming girl with blue hair done in 2016 by French artist Vinie Graffiti as part of the International Contemporary Art Festival. The girl is very typical and a signature feature of Vinie’s murals. 

Next to Vinie’s piece, you’ll see a collaboration of two Georgian female muralists – Musya and Tamoonz – dedicated to Mother Language Day, which Georgia celebrates on April 14 each year. 

This vibrant and colorful street art in Kutaisi features Georgian alphabet letters adorned with flowers and plants and a girl floating up in the air. While a few steps away, on the black background, you’ll notice even more Georgian letters and Deda Ena (Mother Language) written in vibrant colors. 

This is not my choice by Musya 

Right at the end/start of the Tiny Street at Tsisper Kantselebi Street, you’ll find art by Musya Keburia, a female Georgian artist called This Is Not My Choice, created within the campaign of the same name by World Vision – a non-profit organization working on the topics of children living and working on the streets. 

This Is Not My Choice was a campaign to end the exploitation of children on the streets.

Musya’s mural in Kutaisi shows a child sleeping inside a cardboard box using a plush teddy bear as a pillow. The box walls have doodles of the child’s dreams, wishes, and longings.

With Love by Sasha Korban at Varlamishvili Str.

This new Kutaisi mural became everyone’s favorite, and the pictures of it went viral on social media channels. Painted by one of my favorite artists, Sasha Korban, who now has a handful of street art in Tbilisi, brings another fascinating piece to the Georgian city with utmost detail and love. 

He called the mural ‘სიყვარულით’ or ‘with love’ in English, but many locals started referring to it as ‘Bebia’ or Grandma. 

According to Sasha, this mural represents the essence of love that transfuses our everyday lives, shown through the little acts of kindness we often take for granted, supposing it to be the natural order of things. 

Done within Tbilisi Mural Fest, the grandma on the mural is basically an accurate portrait of 81-year-old Dali Doghonadze, who bakes tasty Khachapuri and Mchati on the ketsi clay pot at AgroGueshouse Korena, located on the road to Gelati from Kutaisi. 

Mural dedicated to Tamaz Nikitini at Shota Rustaveli Str. 

On one of my last visits to Kutaisi, I stumbled upon this mural at Tamaz Nikitini pocket park near Rustaveli Street once you cross the Rustaveli bridge. 

The mural is dedicated to Tamaz Nikitini, a 26-year-old man from Kutaisi who tragically died in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. 

This fascinating street art in Kutaisi depicts a human upper body without a head painted in dark grey tones on a baby blue background, signifying a sky with several white clouds. 

The focus comes on the claw-shaped hands showcasing anger or pain. Paper origami birds are spread across the body, while a shorter wall also represents a small Georgian poem about one’s soul. The poem’s end says, “My soul is within Georgia’s accelerated breathing.” 

Project Men Care mural at Shota Rustaveli Str. 

On 102 Rustaveli Avenue hides another charming street art in Kutaisi commissioned by the UNFPA Georgia project Men Care to promote men’s involvement in fatherhood and the upbringing of their children. 

This mural was created within the 16-day campaign against gender violence, and there’s one with a similar theme in Tbilisi, Akhaltsikhe, and Ozurgeti. 

Note: Google Maps identified the location as 102 Rustaveli Avenue, while on the building itself, it says No.85, so follow the location on my Google Maps list. 

Women’s rights by Tina Chertova at Nodar Dubmadze Str. 

At the junction of Nodar Dumbadze and E. Ninoshvili 4th Turn, you’ll find a mural by female artist Tina Chertova for women’s rights done at the Niko Movement festival in 2019. 

Cool cat by George Gamez and Galaktion Tabidze Str. 

At Galaktion Tabidze Street, a few steps away from the corner of Davit Aghmashenebeli Street, you’ll find a typical caricature character of Georgian illustrator and street artist George Gamez at the Niko Movement festival in 2019. 

The cat has a comic bubble that says “Martla Geubnebi” in Georgian, which translates as “I am telling you the truth.” I especially love the surprised-looking fish with a tiny crown. 

Cranes and Pomegranates by Ksyu Brice at Lado Asatiani 5th Turn

Created in 2022, this mural in Kutaisi showcases pomegranates and a crane made by Ksyu Brice.

With her first personal mural in Georgia, she sought to encapsulate the essence of the country, imprinting her initial impressions in a symbolic postage stamp. 

The pomegranate symbolizes the juicy and vibrant life in Georgia. At the same time, a crane that she saw for the first time in the wild in Guria represents the freedom that saturates Georgia’s air for her.

Zurab Sakandelidze by Pablo at Lato Asatiani Str.

Dedicated to the basketball player Zurab Sakandelidze, this mural in Kutaisi stands at the corner of Lado Asatiani Street and Tbilisi – Senaki – Leselidze Hwy. 

The inspiration to dedicate this mural to Zurab came to Pablo after seeing the wall on which he was supposed to paint something. Therefore, he decided to give Kutaisi something familiar to the city and its residents – the beloved player born here. 

Sakandelidze played in the Dinamo Tbilisi and won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics with the Soviet team. 

Pablo’s art, done in black and white and color, represents a ball thrown from the black past into the colorful future. 

Lockdown by Dante and Mandaria Str. 

Almost at the corner of Mandaria and Tsereteli Streets, Dante, one of my favorite Georgian artists, painted a mural representing the COVID lockdown. The mural shows a couple in isolation, separated by a wall.

Environmental collapse by Pablo and Ksyu Brice at Mandaria Str. 

While I could not find the exact title of this mural, I gave it myself based on the story it tells. 

A few steps from Dante’s mural on Mandaria Street and closer to the Kutaisi Railway Station, Pablo and Ksyu Brice showcase what can happen to our nature and eco-system if we don’t care for them. 

Childhood mural by Masholand at Shanidze Str. I

This beloved street art in Kutaisi by Masholand within the Niko Movement is devoted to the magic felt during childhood – hot summer days, playing with neighborhood children before dawn, wearing animal masks, and looking at fireflies after the sunset.

Kite and children at Uznadze Str. 

In front of Story restaurant, you’ll find this cute mural of a girl playing with a kite painted in color while other kids crafted in black and white in stencil technique at the stairs create an illusion that they sit and stand on those stairs. 

Unfortunately, I could not find much information about this. So, if you know anything about it, please comment below. I’ll be grateful. 

Cosmic girl Salome Nikolaishvili at Galaev-Nijaradze Str. 

At the corner of Simon Kaukhchishvili and Galaev-Nijaradze Streets, you’ll find Cosmic Girl by Salome Nikolaishvili, a Georgian female muralist. This piece is part of the series dedicated to strong women. In this mural, she shows the girl’s dream of becoming an astronaut. 

Lines – basketball court by Skirl

In 2021, Niko Movement partnered with Eripebet’s Responsible project and redesigned several basketball courts in Tbilisi and Kutaisi. My favorite from this project is of Dante called Jump in Tbilisi. However, the one made by an Austrian artist, Skril, is quite an impressive street art in Kutaisi. 

The whole mural is composed of lines of different sizes and shapes. For me, this abstract piece resembles traces and patterns you’d do on a sandy beach. And when you touch it, the surface is coarse, giving the court a different dimension and representation. 

Various artists at the Kutaisi International University Campus

Kutaisi International University (KIU) opened its doors for the first students in 2020 within its colorful campus, around 8km from the city center. 

Partnering up with Tbilisi Mural Fest, all the apartment buildings of the university campus were painted by international muralists, totaling six works. 

These Kutaisi murals mostly have corresponding themes. For instance, Mathias Mross created the ‘The Power of Knowledge’ based on the details he saw in the first scientific publications of King Vakhtang VI’s printing house from 1772. 

Artez’s ‘Favorite Distraction’ captures the typical moment of a pet owner, with his characteristic girl comfortably sitting on the floor with cushions reading the book while the cat comes along asking for her attention. With this mural, he hopes that students remember their furry friends and those cute moments they left back home. 

One more of my favorite artists, Case Maclaim, has also worked on one campus wall and created pieces with his typical signature of focusing on hands and palms. 

Innerfields’ Trust’ is one of my favorites based on Charli Chaplin’s words that we need humankind more than machinery; we overthink, feel too little, and need more kindness than cleverness. 

The black and white ‘Hyperthinker’ and ‘The Future is Unwritten’ are typical signature pieces of INO with a touch of blue striks. The colorful plants with the bird are creations of two Georgian artists, Irakli Qadeishvili and Zviad Esartia. 

To see these murals, email the KIU administration and schedule an appointment. Since it is an educational venue, showing up and walking in won’t work, as you need to be given a visitor pass, and the security needs to know about you. 

On the scheduled date, the KIU will provide a university ambassador student to meet you at the gate and walk you through. You can also ask them questions about the university, but they don’t know much about the artists.

Take bus number 3 from Kutaisi center towards the university or order a Bolt taxi.