At the core of Datuna’s practice was a desire to communicate across borders—visually, socially, and politically. His lens-layered flags and portraits of cultural icons such as John F. Kennedy, Steve Jobs, and Vladimir Putin served as reflective mirrors of collective identity, drawing viewers into a shared field of vision. The shifting optics of each piece challenged audiences to reconsider how truth is seen, mediated, and understood.
Davit Datuna (1974–2022) was a Georgian-American conceptual artist recognized for his powerful explorations of identity, perception, and cultural dialogue. Best known for his Viewpoint of Millions series, Datuna layered thousands of optical lenses over flags, portraits, and symbolic imagery to challenge how we see and interpret the world around us.
Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and later based in New York, Datuna's practice was deeply shaped by his personal journey between political systems, cultures, and ideologies. His work engaged with themes of national identity, collective memory, and social transformation—often incorporating historical figures, technology, and performative elements to spark critical reflection.
Datuna gained international attention in 2019 for his now-famous performance at Art Basel Miami, where he ate Maurizio Cattelan’s The Comedian in a provocative gesture that reframed questions of authorship, value, and absurdity in contemporary art.
Though his work has been exhibited globally—from the Smithsonian to the Saatchi Gallery—only a limited selection of Datuna’s pieces are available today.
Twelve Chairs Gallery is honored to present a small, curated collection of works by Davit Datuna, highlighting his unique ability to merge the conceptual with the emotional, and the personal with the political. His art invites viewers to look closer—through layers of material and meaning—to confront the complexity of identity in a globalized world.