Million Scarlet Roses from Niko Pirosmani Collage

Sometimes, a close viewer's look or certain works of art evoke serious thoughts about an integral internal system or a special mental outlook of their author. A true artist always creates his own universe which is controlled only by him and by means of it he intuitively experiences the world. Perhaps the work of Svetlana Elantseva Southorn is a subjective and, at the same time, an effective way to touch the space of memory. Svetlana as if shares her thoughts with a wide audience. She gives the opportunity to complete the idea, which was started by her, allowing the audience to become the co-author of her art. Svetlana was born and grew up in Russia. She always took a great interest in creativity: for some time she worked with the team of artists engaged in propaganda and agitation in the town of Klimovsk near Moscow. Having moved to England, she successfully mastered several specialties at the College of Arts in Shrewsbury, and then at Stafford University. Today, the artist has more than twenty personal exhibitions. In addition, she participated in numerous international group exhibitions. In 2009, Svetlana organized the International Association of Artists called «Art International Group» which is now successfully operating at Russian as well as foreign art venues. It is obvious that Svetlana has already found her voice in the noisy and multidimensional world of contemporary art. Today she has an impressive number of works that demonstrate not only the originality of her creative thinking, but also an active search for new expressive means. «While searching for my own style, I tried my abilities in different currents — in realism, impressionism, fauvism and abstractionism,  — says Svetlana. — In the process, I explored most diverse methods of interaction of traditional materials and new technologies. However, in my works there was always a reminder of Russia. I work at the junction of fine arts and literature. Commitment to literariness and narration is the property of Russian culture in general. Turning to the books gives me a certain focus on the vision of subconsciously hidden forms, implications, symbols.» Most often Elantseva Southorn resorts to the technique of collage in her works. Perhaps, the artist's collages are close in their style to the mysterious works of Max Ernst, «the master of fine alchemy». As it is well known, the latter pasted fragments of images on the canvas.