In response to the current global political turbulence, I aim to create a new series of works that contributes to a socio-political awareness and progressive discourse in the world. I want to focus on activating the intersection of political activism and art, and on exploring the impact of words and poetry in art.
Though I have lived most of my life in Britain, my Georgian-Ukrainian roots led me in 2017 to explore Georgian poet Vazha-Pshavela’s anti-imperialist work. I created artworks, in collaboration with historians, and produced socio-politically charged exhibitions and a publication. In light of current unrest in Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and the rest of the world – I again feel an urge to create work that contributes to a progressive discourse and socio-political awareness.
I aim to explore how people around the world stand up for their aspirations for pluralism and freedom of expression in the face of autocratic, imperialist, and regressive forces. Drawing on sources such as news reports, archival photographs, protest slogans, graffiti, and conversations with historians, as well as discussions within a focus group, I will examine the dynamic relationship between text and image, and the interplay of perception and visual literacy. My goal is to create works that reflect the complexities of people’s struggles today and explore the role of text and image in conveying persuasive messages.
I will experiment with painting techniques like automatic writing, calligraphy, typography, trompe-l’oeil, process art, and abstract art to create richly layered, multidimensional surfaces. These works will blur the boundaries between text and image, abstraction and realism, incorporating dance-like movements to interpret textual references. This approach will infuse the work with personal and emotional resonance, with compositional distortions, symbolism, humour, and irony serving as points of entry for viewers.
The bursary will support research activities, including to Darlington, the establishment of a focus group, fees for collaborating professionals, the production of artworks and an exhibition, as well as my artist’s fee. The Dover Prize will enable me to create an ambitious new work that is intellectually more complex than any of my previous projects, substantially advancing my art practice.
My work often addresses global and public issues through local and personal perspectives. I believe meaningful art starts with real human connection, and I’m excited to explore Darlington’s history and present-day realities as a foundation for new work. I hope to collaborate with a local historian and set up a Focus Group to uncover themes and stories that reflect both local experiences and broader issues.
Engaging with the community is central to my process. I want to connect with local people on a personal level, understanding to their concerns and aspirations. This will allow me to respond both emotionally and pragmatically to the lived realities in Darlington, and to ground my work in shared experience.
Through these collaborations, I plan to create a new body of work culminating in an exhibition in Darlington. The project will explore serious issues, such as identity, freedom of expression, and resistance, with a touch of humour and satire. By blurring the lines between art and everyday life, I hope to create accessible and thought-provoking work.
Ultimately, the project will highlight the role of art as a powerful tool for reflecting, addressing, and provoking dialogue about contemporary socio-political concerns within the local context of Darlington.
I am a London-based Georgian-British artist, creating paintings, installations, and artist’s books that construct psychological spaces reflecting the complexities of our contemporary world. My recent works examine how we navigate a reality shaped by news and social media, set against the backdrop of the rapid advancement of technology, the looming threat of climate disaster, and ongoing global conflicts. I see my work as an “expanded painting” practice through which I explore the use of diverse media and collaborate with writers, scientists, actors and dancers. I have shown my work at the Tate Modern, Royal Academy of Arts, Whitechapel Gallery, Camden Arts Centre, PEER, Gasworks, Saatchi Gallery, Holburne Museum, CFCCA, The Lowry, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Wroclaw, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Seoul Museum of Art, and international exhibitions including Prague Biennial 4 (2009), Glasgow International (2012) and 3rd Tbilisi Triennial (2018). Here are several recent projects: 2024: ‘How We Are Where We Are’, Collaboration with Yu-Chen Wang, Tate Modern, London. Resembling a theatre set, this installation highlights the visual tropes used by museums founded in nineteenth-century Britain, a period marked by industrial development, and imperial expansion. The work questions the social relations and power dynamics that shaped cultural institutions in cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London. 2022–23: ‘Three Poems’, Solo installation and residency, façade installation, The British School at Rome. Semeiko examines the BSR’s façade by Edwin Lutyens as a symbol of the British Empire. A dancer’s movements generate charged calligraphic marks on the fabric, attempting to break through the institution’s façade, a metaphor for efforts to deconstruct/re-contextualise imperial legacies. 2021–22: ‘Emotionarama’, PEER, London. Solo project with contributions from Mike Nelson, Fiona Banner, et al., An artist’s book and installation exploring the emotional dimensions of the artist’s practice through short texts, which were performed for the audience. 2019: ‘Vazha-Pshavela’, Solo project with collaborations; installation and book launches at Asia House, London Book Fair, and Frankfurt Book Fair. An artist’s book and installation that explore notions of self and motherland through landscape, ethnography, and the language of the Georgian poet Vazha-Pshavela
2003-08 – PG Diploma & Research Fellowship, Royal Academy Schools, London, UK
2000-01 – MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK
1998-00 – BA Fine Art, Utrecht School of the Arts, The Netherlands
1992-98 – Diploma in Painting, Tbilisi State Academy of Art, Georgia
2010-20 – Arts Council England Grants, UK
2011 – Jessica Wilkes Award, Acme Studios, London, UK
2004 – The British Institution Award, The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, UK
2001 – Bloomberg New Contemporaries, UK
2000 – Kunstanjer, Prince Bernard Culture Fund, The Netherlands
By the national public art collection of Solo Bank, Georgia.
2024 Equinox point, Bakinski Rabochi, newspaper, (AZ), 15 Feb
2023 Interview with Azerbaijan TV, (AZ), 7 Dec
2022 S.P.A.M. Spreads 2, art book, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art publications, (UK)
2022 Immersive exhibition by Andro Semeiko, Art news, ELLE, magazine, Feb
2022 Interview with Andro Semeiko, Georgian Week, media portal, (GE), Feb
2021 ‘It’s not cutesy’: the art show co-curated by a five-year-old, by Tim Jonze, Guardian, The, (UK), 31 Aug
2022 – The Abbey Fellowship in Painting, The British School at Rome, Italy
2017 – Seoul Museum of Art Residency, South Korea
2014 – ONSITE Award and Residency, TAP, Southend-on-Sea, UK
2013 – PEER Residency, London, UK
2009 – Berwick Gymnasium Fellowship, Berwick-upon-Tweed, UK
Email: info@androsemeiko.com
Address: 73 Chris Pullen Way, London, N7 9FG, GB
Local Authority: Islington
