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18.02. - 15.03.2016. Kristaps Zarins "GARDEN"

18.02. - 15.03.2016

Galerija "Māksla XO"

Elizabetes iela 14, Rīga, LV 1010

"Garden" 2015, acrylic, water colour on paper, 135x47 cm

Kristaps Zarins “Garden”


After a three-year break, painter Kristaps Zarins is opening his solo exhibition “Garden” at the “Maksla XO” gallery.

Here, the well-known painting of Kristaps Zarins reveals itself in a completely new way – during the past year, the artist has devoted himself to painting on paper with mixed media- acryl and watercolours. Brand-new are not only the used materials, but also the fact that the artist has changed, without even noticing it.  In the new works, the same colour richness and in realism-based form of a woman remains, only now, all of it has been fused with the spring air and the southern sun - the sky without a single cloud and almost detectable midday heat. Kristaps Zarins’ characteristic painterly brush strokes have gained transparency, although physically not being such. Where previously the oil painting found its place on canvas, now shines in the light, which was accomplished by leaving white, colour-free spots on the surface. The image of the woman is barely discernible, as well. It is hidden in-between plants and flowers or disguised behind the purple shadows of the trees.

Kristaps Zarins’ painting has always been loose and in the latest works it seems “as if some sort of weight has been lifted,” it is full of vitality, but at the same time of an internal peace, as well. The vibrant reds, browns and yellows have faded away and in their place combinations of lively purples, yellows and blues have emerged.  Ilze Zeivate, 2016.

“Why should one even paint…? One of the explanations is so that the final painting is as good as the first one or even better. And the value of that first one will increase if you continue to paint your whole life. If you paint just one painting and afterwards only go mushroom picking, the painting will also turn into a mushroom. Or you have to die. Like Kazaks (Jēkabs Kazaks).  Therefore, it is necessary to paint your whole life, holding the brush straight up, so it would be difficult to put the lid on” - Kristaps Zarins.

“The relationships between gardens and art are special. Every garden is created by human hands and is a reproduction of nature, subjected to aesthetic notions. Every garden is a work of art. However, in some way each garden is also a symbolic image of the Garden of Eden. A memory of our mythical primordium. Will we ever return there?” - Andris Teikmanis, 2016.