Ekaterina Gerasimenko
Russian contemporary artist specialising in painting and ceramics.
In my practice, I mostly rely on my own snapshots. I get caught up in bizarre moments or connections that are not created artificially. They are anthropocentric compositions that were naturally formed throughout human existence. I strive to show the irony and aesthetics of everyday life, the nuances of human interaction with the world around us. Thus, in my practice, I bring a special context into my photos, or do the opposite by extracting captured objects from the fountainhead.
I use barely noticeable "interferences-breakdowns", that I inscribe into my canvases, which are calming and understandable figurative paintings. In my recent projects, I began to focus on such photo alterations as randomly occurring highlights or blurs. They refer to the original image, which is refracted multiple times during the shooting process.
An important part of my research is to analyze human behavior and interests. I represent them not through the people themselves, but through their environment — to simulate their view. At the Ilya Glazunov Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, I studied at the portrait workshop, where I conveyed human behavior through facial expressions and body language. Now I'm doing the exact opposite by excluding precise images of people. At the moment, I deliberately do not deviate from the academic manner of drawing. I follow a familiar and comfortable path that, at some point, depersonalizes and rejects the authorship. On the other hand, this is a personal challenge: I feel a negative perception of the academic school.
Antonio Geuza, Independent curator, art critic
The artist has the irony in her hands, a powerful weapon which is tough to handle. Ekaterina plays with the irony in a smart way. She succeeds to construct a very convincing reality. Her paintings example a soft surrealism that requires an active eye to find an absurd detail rather the passive delighted view at beautiful compositions. The academic background is obvious, but Ekaterina's willingness to break the rules with a semi smile on her face is even more evident. And this is the most important after all.
