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M/Gallery presents “Mazdārziņi” / “Little Gardens”, a solo show by Latvian contemporary artist Kristīne Kutepova. Inspired by Kutepova’s personal memories and experience cultivating gardens, the exhibition consists of 14 original paintings, where the vibrancy in both colour and images will transport you into a hot summer day. Find yourself surrounded by the little chaoses of nature and life, as well as its harmony.

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Kutepova’s artworks burst with delicious primary colours. Objects are layered on top of one another in a collage-like fashion. Psychedelic blue and green dominate the colour fields, with splashes of pink and purple adding depth to a kaleidoscope of movements. Much like a real garden, the artworks buzz with insects, bird songs, aromas of the greens, earth, and bright-coloured blooming flowers; things overflow and settle down in perfect synchronicity.

 

Kristīne says, “One of my favourite childhood memories is a summer day in the garden in the sun, the touch of bare feet on the grass and the ground, the taste of dill, the rumble of bumblebees. Childhood memories and the first steps in creating my own small garden have inspired the creation of an exhibition inhabited by the spirit of Beans, watermelon Manisa, the guardian of apples, the souls of the Garden Houses. Garden houses are from real life, but the flashes of memories are depicted in abstract improvisations. The painting process takes place in several layers; they overlap and interact with each other, just like our memories - every time we remember, we can add or subtract - and a new story emerges. The moment when the abstract world fits perfectly into the real, a peculiar symbiosis and interaction occur. Gardening is about a return to Nature, a great opportunity to feel the cyclicality of Nature again, to become a small creator, at least on your windowsill or balcony."

 

Elena Šalina, the curator of M/Gallery, says: “Little Gardens exhibition brings me back to my own early memories of summers spent in the gardens, learning about the growth process and the various techniques of cultivating vegetables and fruits with my grandmother and her gardening friends. As time passes, we start to learn about taking care of the gardens within us, spending time on our own well-being, learning to embrace the imperfections within that sometimes need to be weeded out, or simply guided in a new direction. Kutepova’s use of perspectives in her Little Gardens collection also makes you contemplate reality and your memories. The complexity of our stories is chaotic and wild; moments overlap, are embellished, misplaced; Kristīne captures that in a mesmerising way. I hope the exhibition will inspire us to embrace a more playful attitude towards life and experience a child-like state of wonder once again. Sometimes all we need in order to nourish our inner garden is to breathe in the warmth and comfort of a day in the sun; here we have the magical power of art to bring us there.”

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About Kristīne Kutepova

 

Kristīne Kutepova (1982) graduated from the Latvian Academy of Arts, Department of Visual Arts, Bachelor's (2017) and Master's (2019) study programs. She received the award of the Latvian Academy of Arts “SEB Scholarship in Painting” in 2017 and the scholarship of patron Ināra Tetereva in 2015. Since 2014, she has participated in various group exhibitions, including international projects in Italy and Germany. The works are in private collections in the Royal Palace of Sweden, Russia, Norway and Poland. The most important solo exhibitions, "Visions" Riga Art Space, "Wonderland" Jurmala City Museum, "Portraits of Nature" Liepaja Museum, "Consciousness Fixations" in Valmiera City Museum.

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Press: Arterritory, NOBA

Press release: ENG, LV

Catalogue

Show walkthrough: LV