Paul Sergounine

Lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia

Artist statement

I do not paint to decorate, illustrate, or comfort. I paint to expose the unstable architecture of thought. My work explores the invisible systems through which memory, perception, and identity are constructed . Rather than depicting external reality, I investigate the internal mechanics of consciousness - how experience accumulate, fragment, erode, and reorganise over time. Each painting is conceived as a psychological landscape where order and instability exist simultaneously. Working with acrylic ground, oil stick, and oil pastel, I build surfaces through repeated cycles of construction, interruption, abrasion, and revision. Every visible mark records both a decision and its transformation. I deliberately preserve traces of earlier gestures, allowing the painting to reveal its own history rather than conceal it. The finished image is not a representation of certainty, but the residue of an evolving process. The recurring profile that appears throughout the Mind Mechanics series is not a portrait but an architectural framework - a vessel for thought rather than identity. Within it, structured forms, gestural marks, and shifting fields of colour establish relationships between conscious awareness and subconscious processes. These elements resist fixed symbolism, remaining open to multiple interpretations while reflecting the continuous negotiation between memory, perception, and experience. My paintings do not seek definitive answers. They invite viewers to enter an open...

Artwork