Art is great. It’s even better when it’s for a good cause. So meet Shalva Nikvashvili, an artist from the notoriously un-LGBT friendly country of Georgia who is now creating images of his muse PAMELLA to raise money for Mom’s chemotherapy. Find out more about Shalva, his muse PAMELLA and how you can help his Mom.

Hi Shalva, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in the country Georgia. My relationship with my family has always been difficult. I was gay in a country where LGBT people are still not accepted. I’ve known since I was six but always kept it hidden from my family, as a huge secret, deep in my heart. It made my young life extremely hard.
When I turned 23 I met my husband. His name is Tom Van der Borght and he is a Belgian fashion designer. We married two years ago – behind my family’s back. For the first time in my life I found peace and happiness and the space to be completely myself. So it seemed the best moment for me to be open to my family about who I am. I wrote a revealing letter to my mother but my father still doesn’t know anything. My Mom is the only one who tries to accept me, especially the difficult and homophobic environment she is living in.
For the last two years I’ve been living in Belgium/Gent and here I can really launch my career. My passion is still in drawing and fashion. I keep developing my work as an illustrator. I’ve learned how to use a tattoo machine and started translating my drawings into tattoos and use the human skin as my new canvas. I’m also collaborating with my husband on a new fashion brand – HUSBANDS.
My life is simple but interesting. I’m working hard and trying to make this world a better place – even if just in my own garden.

I heard of you on Facebook when I read about your Mum. I’m really sorry to hear the situation. Can you tell us, just briefly, how are you both doing?
Over the last two years that I’ve been out of Georgia, I’ve not seen my Mom or any of my family. That’s really hard. A month ago my mother was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. They amputated her breast but because of the aggressive cancer she has to have chemotherapy and other therapies.
In Georgia good healthcare is still not that accessible and also really expensive. For one year’s cancer treatment my Mom needs a lot of money which right now she doesn’t have. Together with my husband we’re trying to help her as much as we can.
That’s why I decided to use my drawing skills to support her. Now I’m raising money selling portraits of a character I’ve developed, named PAMELLA. I already have more than thirty requests from people who want to buy portraits and support my Mom. Also my husband has developed a series of postcards featuring PAMELLA, which we also sell in order to raise funds for my Mom’s cause.
It makes me and my Mom so happy. Every day I speak to her on the phone and I tell her everything. She cannot even describe how happy she is. She feels so thankful to all people who are making her life longer.

Can you tell us about PAMELLA?
PAMELLA was born one month ago, but she is already 26 years old, the same age like me. I always put my personal stories and experiences into my work . My idea was to develop a character who would dare to speak out loud, with no boundaries. The personality of PAMELLA is strongly connected to my grandmother.  She was a strong and feisty woman who still inspires me every day, even though she passed away a few years ago.
I’m not sure if PAMELLA has a gender. She could be either way, and in that way is also a reflection of how I see myself with gender and gender related issues. I think this also makes her recognisable for everyone. Everyone can be a bit PAMELLA or at least know someone like that.
She is actually not a sweet person, but she has good heart. I think she is mainly independent and free. Nobody and nothing can stop her, which definitely goes back to my earlier experiences in life where I struggled to find any freedom.
I believe she is very versatile  and she’s able to transform into anything. To some she might be a hero, to another she might be a villain. She is mainly a dreamer; a bit naive but she really believes she can make the world a better place (for herself). Her biggest ambition is to become world famous, as she believes fame means power.

Where do you see your relationship with PAMELLA going?
Maybe for me, PAMELLA is the best and cheapest shrink available. She allows me to deal with my own struggles, experiences and feelings and manages one way or another, to always turn it into something positive, or at least, something to laugh with. That fills me with a feeling of healing and relief.

You can buy drawings and postcards of PAMELLA by adding/DMing Shalva on Facebook or Instagram. Alternatively email him at shakonikva@hotmail.com.