Biography
Evia Freidenfeld was born 1966 in Talsi, Latvia. She graduated with a masterās degree in biology and law at the University of Latvia. She also received her bachelorās and masterās degrees in graphic at the Art Academy of Latvia.
Evia Freidenfeld teaches academic painting and drawing for children and teenagers, developing her studentās creativity in using materials and in creating composition. Before that, she was a prosecutor for 25 years, and in her free time she painted. Evia Freidenfeld completed preparatory courses at the Art Academy of Latvia and improved her knowledge in various art studios and participated in art plein airs.
Evia Freidenfeld has regularly participated in exhibitions since 2010. She is also successful in group exhibitions: in 2022 she received a special award at the competitive exhibition āWorld of Colorsā (āKrÄsu pasauleā), which was in the gallery āBIARTā in Riga. In 2019, the artist received a special award at the competitive exhibition āTaste of Lifeā (āDzÄ«ves garÅ”aā) in the Gallery āArt Pegazsā in Riga; in 2011, she won 1st place in the art project āARS ex MACHINAā organized by Tilde. In 2019, her painting was included in the book āNo Day Without a Line!ā (āNe dienu bez lÄ«nijas!ā), dedicated to the 100 years anniversary of the Art Academy of Latvia. Since 2017, Evia Freidenfeldās paintings have been included in the exhibition catalogs of the International Biennial of paintings with a maritime theme, āMarinaā, and in the exhibition catalogs of the Jazeps Pigožnis competition. The artist has exhibited her graphic works in Latvia, Australia, and Spain. She has also organized 10 solo exhibitions in Latvia.
Evia Freidenfeld, together with many other artists, has collaborated with the Latvian Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics since 2021, creating works that are related to the institute's selected crop varieties. The work is placed in the Instituteās rooms, and cooperation with the Institute itself has led to regular art exhibitions there.
The artistās works are in private collections in Austria, France, Russia, the USA, and Latvia.
Artistic Style
In recent years, Evia Freidenfeld has experimented with the techniques of graphics and painting trying to combine them. Her works, created on canvas and made in the authorās own technique, are full of the lines, scratches, and color streaks, that give the combination of the techniques of graphics and painting. The visual qualities of works created in the authorās technique are very different from those that might be suggested by the classic brush touch on canvas. Evia adds a lot of importance to the casualness in her works, which makes them unique. The color palette of black, blue, and gray combined with the canvasās whiteness translates a light and elusive idea of the fragility of the moments and memories we have experienced. The works in the series āIllusory Realityā are filled with sensitivity and mysteriousness, expressed through the nuances of tone, vibrations of lines and surfaces, creating urban, seascapes and natural landscapes like dreams, close to poetic abstraction.
Besides experimental and classical painting, Evia Freidenfeld is interested in working with charcoal and graphite on paper, inspired by the study of graphic art and learning about the work of artists from South Korea and Japan. In her works the artist tries to break the framework of the two-dimensional plane, giving not only texture to her graphite works made in the authorās technique. Coated in graphite in a conceptually aestheticized way, the paper and cardboard objects convey frostbite and numbness, goosebumps and shivers that are physical manifestations of human confrontation with the irrational, deep sadness, and fear. The works created in authorās technique have a metallic shine, the paper gets a texture with a spatial dimension, like leather. In drawings on paper the artist is fascinated by the contrast between the matte of charcoal and the shine of graphite and the free flow of lines, which allows her to create subconscious images and line drawings.
Eviaās artistic style is associated with the use of experimental techniques, in her works precision is combined with casualness, chaos turns into order, which is on the border between geometry and abstraction, reflects the artistās feeling of this world.
Interesting Facts
In addition to her artistic practice, Evia Freidenfeld is engaged in cognitive psychology and explores the connection of feelings and emotions with colors and shapes. She personally has tried and summarized techniques that help to deal with fear and overcome negative emotions by their transformation.
During the summertime, artist prefers classical painting, painting flowers, landscapes, the sea and participating in plein airs, taking energy and inspiration from nature.
