Ilze Smildzina

Painting allows me to tell a story without using words. The works contain fragments from what we have seen and experienced everyday, placed in a different reality, thus highlighting the story itself. The scenes depicted can take place elsewhere, but the spaciousness and infinite space allow the viewer to interpret. The sense of space and freedom is important. The people depicted are my friends, acquaintances or accidentally met people brought into the stories I created. Otherwise, the storyline changes in the work process where the event is transformed. The imaginary world through which I want to actualize a theme or image may be relevant to me or the public at the time. The stories in my works have a free space that allows each viewer to conjure up their own scene.
Ilze Smildzina holds a master's degree in painting from the Latvian Academy of Art in a figurative workshop and a master's degree in graphic design. The artist has created several solo exhibitions in Latvia and Lithuania, as well as participated in various local and foreign group exhibitions and art competitions, including ArtParis art exhibition, representing Saatchionline Art Gallery (2011), 6th Beijing International Art Biennale (2015, 2019), Paint One Another Know ...

2011 – 2015, Art Academy of Latvia, Printmaking Department, MA degree
2009 – 2011, Art Academy of Latvia, Department of Painting, Figural workshop, MA degree
2005 – 2009, Art Academy of Latvia, Department of Glass Art, Bachelor’s degree
January – May 2007, University of Sunderland, ERASMUS students exchange program, Department of Glass and Ceramics art
1994-1998, University of Latvia, faculty of Education and Psychology, Program of Visual Arts and History of Art, Bachelor’s degree

Solo exhibitions

February 2020, Museum.lv, Gratta JJ, Somewhere Right there
December 2018, Exhibition hall Latvian Academy of Science, A far
May 2018, M galery, Spring taste
April 2018, Liethuania, Kaunas, Parko Galerija, Between
May 2017, M Gallery, Windless
October 2016, Valmiera Culture center, Part of the Way
May 2016, Jurmala Culture center, Part of the way
January, February 2016, Ventspils, Juras varti, On the way
August 2015, Cabourg, France, La Maison Florent, Cabourg
May 2014, Gallery PopUp, About and around
June 2013, Restaurant KID, Blossom
May 2013, Jurmala social integration center, Florescence
April 2012, Art Gallery Bastejs, Intervention
November 2011, Jurmala City Museum, Various feelings
August 2010, Art Gallery Art Bank, It is this
July 2008, Jurmala City Museum, Cognition

Group exhibitions
September 2019, National art museum of China, 8th Beijing International Art Biennale
July 2019, Jurmala City museum, biennale Marina 2019
June 2019, Museum.lv, Gratta JJ, Source of power
September 2018, The Menier Gallery, London, Art Gemini prize finalist exhibition
Augusts 2018, M galerija, Dream in a summer night
Decembris 2017, Museum.lv, Gratta JJ, Literatim art
September 2017, Asia House, Lo...