Geometry of Thought – KVARTIRA S

We are accustomed to seeing geometric figures in school textbooks, computer graphics, or specialist literature, yet we rarely consider how deeply our entire lives are permeated by the geometry of forms and thoughts.

Painting has always been closely connected with geometry. In the late nineteenth century, Paul Cézanne began reducing the world around him to geometric forms, while the Cubists, inspired by his work, took this idea to its ultimate conclusion. The tradition of geometric abstraction continues to evolve and be reinterpreted to this day.

In this exhibition, contemporary artists Lena Malinovskaya, Alexandra Kraeva, Marina Tiik, and Maria Polushkina offer their own interpretations of the geometry of the world and of thought. Though seemingly different at first glance, the works share a single principle: simple forms come together to create complex images.

Sasha Richard: “The exhibition presents works by four women artists represented by Kvartira S Gallery. Their abstract compositions are founded on the creation of pictorial space through combinations of various geometric forms, planes of colour, and straight and broken lines. Geometric abstraction emerged from the explorations of Paul Cézanne and the Cubists. In their search for a ‘new reality,’ they were the first to pursue the deformation of the natural form. This tradition remains alive, continuing to evolve and be reinterpreted by contemporary artists.”

About the Artists:

Marina Tiik

Marina Tiik was born and raised in Moscow. She received professional training in decorative and applied arts and design. She began her creative career in textile design and later taught art disciplines. Through painting, Marina sought self-expression and remained steadfast in her artistic explorations. Over the years, the artist has developed a distinctive style and visual language in which her skill in working with a variety of materials and techniques is organically combined with a gift for thinking in broad categories and symbols.

Alexandra Kraeva

Alexandra’s principal artistic interests are abstraction and abstract expressionism in painting, graphic art, and collage. In her non-objective and figurative compositions, the artist often employs mixed media and a variety of textures. After graduating from the Department of Monumental and Decorative Painting at the Stroganov Academy, Alexandra’s search for her own style took her from realism and Impressionism to Expressionism and abstraction. Alexandra regularly participates in exhibitions, competitions, and projects in Moscow, elsewhere in Russia, and internationally. Her paintings are held in private collections in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Tyumen, as well as in Germany, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, and China.

Maria Polushkina

Maria began pursuing art at Sergei Kazarnovsky’s Klass-Center. She lived and studied in Germany for several years. She graduated from the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Freie Universität Berlin (Free University of Berlin). She participated in the BUTTERBROT exhibition as part of the “48 Stunden Neukölln” festival. She held a solo exhibition at the Boyarskie Palaty space of the Theatre Union of the Russian Federation in Moscow in 2017. She held a solo exhibition at CUB Gallery in Riga in 2018. She has lived in Moscow since 2011. In 2016, she published the book “Between Us,” co-authored with the poet Anna Arkatova. The artist’s works are held in private collections in Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, Sweden, and Russia.

Lena Malinovskaya

A participant in national and international competitions and exhibitions. She began painting in 2015, honing her skills in the studios of various contemporary artists (O. Gorbushin, A. Belov, D. Revyakin. ). Her works are held in private collections in Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and Japan. Lena’s creative practice also encompasses book illustration (in particular, in 2020, as part of a group project by Oleg Gorbushin’s School of Illustration, a new edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published featuring illustrations by Lena alongside those of 12 other artists from the school).