Maria Kholmogorova

I have been drawing and painting since childhood, and painting has always been a part of my life. I find inspiration in many different things, landscapes, cities, water, plants, colors, textures, and sometimes simply in the light or atmosphere of a particular place.
I often paint from life, especially when I travel. My background in architecture has also influenced the way I look at cities, buildings, space and form. Sometimes a place, a color or a small detail stays with me and later becomes the starting point for a new work.
I work mainly in oil, often with a palette knife. I like to keep recognizable forms while leaving some things undefined, somewhere between reality and abstraction. This gives the viewer space to see and feel something of their own.
Most importantly, I want a painting to feel alive. Energy is very important to me, in the color, the movement of the paint and the way the image is built. I want this energy to remain in the finished work and to be something the viewer can continue to feel when living with the painting.

2017–2019 — Contemporary Art Programme, British Higher School of Art and Design
2016–2018 — Contemporary Art Programme, IPSI
1994–2000 — Master of Architecture, MARCHI (Architectural Institute)
Secondary School at MARCHI
Art School No. 1 named after Serov

2021 — Coexistence: Defining Borders, Winzavod
2019 — Labyrinth, Richter Mansion
2019 — Deconstruction: Phantoms of Past and Future, State Gallery on Solyanka
2018 — Routes of Communication, Fragment Gallery
2018 — Without Declared Value, Artplay Center
2018 — Labyrinths, A3 Gallery
2018 — Open Doors, A3 Gallery
2018 — Gallery “Na Kashirke”
2017–2018 — Final project exhibitions, Contemporary Art Course, British Higher School of Art and Design
2016–2017 — Exhibitions at the Institute for Contemporary Art (IPSI)
2015 — Prize-winner, Russian Art Week, abstract painting category
2014 — ArtExpoSpb, St. Petersburg

Solo exhibitions
2014 — Solo exhibition
2012 — Solo exhibition