ARTICLE: Irma Sharikadze: a glimpse inside her mind, photography. By Teona Betlemidze georgiatoday.ge)

(georgiatoday.ge) “If not for photography I don’t know where I would be? Maybe I would become a professional dancer? I love dancing Tango… I devote all my free time to it,” says the young, black-haired Georgian photographer. Sharikadze is one of the leading photographers in Georgia, and has taken part in a number of photo projects that have brought her local and international acclaim. 

At age of 6, Irma took to figure skating. She still has her pair of first skates, but since then, she hasn’t danced on the ice. At 16, somebody bought her a Zenith photo camera. After she snapped the first pictures on her new camera she became addicted to photography, and this changed her whole life. 

“In my teens I the discovered amazing world of photography,” Irma recalls. “It was the 1990s and I was studying at Toidze Art College and performing at Pantomime’s Theater. My dream was to be an actor. At that time photography was considered to be just men’s stuff.” 

Nonetheless, photography still became a part of her. For Sharikadze, everything begins by self-consciousness, intuition, and by the love of people and life. 

“Photography for me is a unique genre, as it reflects the influence of all the fields of art. The muse and inspiration could come from anywhere; during a journey, while reading a book, at museum or at the theatre,” she adds. 

Irma is working primarily on her own projects. The main focus of her photography features woman. One of her famous photo collections is entitled the World’s Leading Women.

While fulfilling the World’s Leading Women project, she was invited to Russia by GMG Gallery to the exhibit entitled Frida Kalo. This exhibit was presented in a very original way with photos taken of letters, collages and video art. 

“The camera loves the natural environment, any emotion should be real and persuasive,” Irma explains. “It needs special talent and doesn’t depend on appearance. However I always do test shot before a photo session.” 

Just a week ago, Irma Sharikadze and Iuri Mechitov, another popular photographer in Georgia, were participating in the Iberia festival in Holland. After which she flew to France to carry on negotiations　with one of the leading galleries, which was interested in her last photo project entitled Sky as Crown. In this project, Georgia’s beautiful landscape is captured like a uniform scene, where ethno-cultural symbols are used as props to represent the Georgian woman’s contemporary, innovative conception. 

Despite a specific style in photography, Irma Sharikadze’s own dressing style is very easy on the eyes. “Chanel said once, ‘fashion is changing but style is everlasting’. I think style is a person’s indivisible part. I love dresses and accessories in particular,” said Sharikadze with a light smile.

Asked whether life depends on fate or on humans themselves she responded: “I always believed in stars and fate. The moon circle affects the sea and the ocean’s movements. Our predecessors during harvest time used to oversee the moon calendar. I hope the development of civilization and technological progress doesn’t mean that there will appear a gap between humans and nature. Of course, no matter how good or bad the stars’ predictions are, a person should create their own lifestyle and principles of action,” explained Irma Sharikadze.