ARINA G O R D I E N K O Profile Education 2006 – 2007 BA Fine Art (Painting) Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts London 2005 – 2006 Foundation Studies (Painting), Merit Certificate, Central Saint Martins College, University of the Arts London 1985 – 1987 Art School, Fine Art, Distinction Certificate, Russia Prizes and Awards Special Prize Gagliardi Art Gallery, Special Prize Fiorella Pieri Contemporary Art Gallery ARTWORKinternational, Inc , finalist for the grant EXPO-29 Winner , International Painting Competition, b.j.spoke gallery, New York, USA 2009 MFA Now Award Winner , International Painting Competition, USA First Place Award , Full Brush Exhibition, The Pen and Brush Gallery, New York, USA Second Place in Portrait/Figure category, The Artist's Magazine, USA, International Painting Competition Face of National British Charity ‘Sue Ryder Care 2009' , Art Liberating Lives Campaign FringeMK Painting Prize , Catalogue finalist 2008 The Anthony J. Lester Art Critic Award , Mall Galleries, London, SWA Annual Exhibition, awarded by Lady Gabriella Windsor Visitor's Choice Award, Cork Street Gallery, London, Annual Cork Street Open Art Competition The Brenda Landon Pye Portrait Prize, London , Shortlisted for the Prize b.j.spoke gallery, USA, New York, EXPO-29 Marseille Project Gallery, Marseille, France, Artist's Portrait Brighton University Gallery, Brighton, UK , Occidental Dimension 2009 The Pen and Brush Gallery, New York, USA , Fall Brush Exhibition Praxis Art International Gallery, Miami, USA , MFA Now Award Winner's Exhibition Mall Galleries, London , Art Liberating Lives Exhibition Mall Galleries, London , Society of Women Artists Annual Exhibition Cork Street Gallery, London , Annual Open Art Competition Brick Lane Bodhi Gallery, London , Condensation, The Temperature is Rising Posk Gallery, London , Summer Edition 2008 Mall Galleries, London SWA Annual Competition, opened by Lady Gabriella Windsor The RBSA Gallery, Birmingham , The First Biennial RBSA Open Portrait Award The Art Club, Dover Street, London , Exhibition of Prizes Winners of National Open Art Competition Pallant House Gallery and Museum, Chichester, Prizes Winners of National Open Art Competition MA Fine Art Final Degree Show , Chelsea College of Art, University of the Arts London The Marseille Project Gallery, Marseille, France, Housewarming Decima Gallery, London , Condensation - The Temperature is Rising 2007 The Arts Gallery, Davies Street, London, XHIBIT-07, works have been selected by Tom Hunter Candid Arts Trust Galleries, London , Islington Contemporary Art Fair The Untitled Gallery , Adam Street Private Club, London Battersea Contemporary Art Fair, London 2006 The Lethaby Gallery, London , LANDMARKS 2006, Central Saint Martins College of Art The Untitled Gallery, Throgmorton Street, London , All Together Art Show, 2005 Exhibition of BA and MA graduates of the University of Hertfordshire The Harlequin Centre Publications Arte Laguna Art Prize 2009 , catalogue The Year's Best Art , Tamera Lenz Muente, The Artist's Magazine, USA , December 2009, p. 54 A good reason to get arty , The Daily Mirror , 2009, Monday, September 21, page 33 Fringe MK (catalogue), 2009 Saving Lives with Art , The Wandsworth Guardian , 2009, Thirsday, June 18 Artist Perfoms Emotions in Paint, Adam Cornell, The Maldon Standart , Wednesday, April 15, 2009, p. 9 Stand-out Students , The Artist's Magazine , USA(special 25-th Anniversary Issue),January/February 2009, p.54 The Society of Women Artists (catalogue 2008, 2009) First Biennal RBSA Open Portrait Award (catalogue 2008) Cork Street Open Art Exhibition (catalogue 2008, 2009) Affordable Art Fair 2008, April (catalogue) MA Chelsea Final Degree Show2008 (catalogue) National Open Art Competition, Chichester (catalogue 2008) Saatchi Competition to uncover Art Idol by Ben Hoyle, The Times , 2007, Friday, March 2, page 27 Xhibit 07 (catalogue 2007) University of the Arts London Artist Statement My paintings may be associated with images from the art history, but I avoid any direct references - I only mark a trace, and outline a hint what the images could have been related to. I position an image, I am working with, in a middle of nowhere, without any recognizable signs of any given time or place, or any other particular characteristics. I intentionally restrict myself with colours in my work and manipulate with the monochrome palette, which enables me to conduct anonymity to an image. I am fascinated by the influence of light, dark and middle tones of the monochrome on an emotional expression of images. There is an amazing relationship between shape and light from transparency of the light to the dark and solid opaque space around it that always mesmerizes me. The Red, which I use in my works, has a deep meaning for me. In Russian language, in folk and fairy tales, often the word ‘red' is equal to the word ‘beautiful' and for me ‘the red' as ‘the beauty' resonate with the words ‘The Beauty will save The World' written by one of the worldly known Russian writers Fyodor Dostoevsky. In many cultures the colour red also means passion and I believe that images and objects which have been created with passion can take on an immense power that is sometimes found in religious art - a powerful energy that has an ability to alter one's mental state and even transform reality. Art is a powerful tool to bring The Beauty to the world and within the creative positive energy to keep this world in Harmony - to save it. Biography Following this experience in my life, when I started to explore painting, of course, the first subjects were images of flowers and leaves. Painting was my passion from the very childhood and as far back as I can remember I painted everywhere I could find a spare place, for example, on walls in my room, on furniture and on doors, on clothes and even in lesson books at school. Later I finished Art School in Russia that provided me with the basic artistic skills, ready for development at the right time. I believe that Russian school of drawing and painting has a very big influence on me as well as music and literature. I used to study at Music College as a chorus conductor and still perceive everything in the world through a musical harmony, whether this is the harmony of singing voices, music, words or colours. I am trying to transfer the harmony into my paintings. Sometimes it seems to me that my paintings are born by themselves and I just conduct them to the world – within the creative energy that moves throughout my brushstrokes with paints to the images on canvas. My life has changed completely and quite dramatically several times. I lived in a small town in Russia until 2005 and have worked in different fields, however always related to art - whatever I was doing in my life I dreamt of becoming a professional artist. In 2005 I applied to study at the famous Central Saint Martins College, University of the Arts London. I was much older than most of the students, without any proper spoken English, yet crazy enough to start my life from zero to follow my dream – to be an artist. I was accepted and in 2006 I have finished my Foundation Studies and then, in 2007, the First Year of BA. During my studying I started to experiment with portraiture and to exhibit my works in London. In 2007 I applied for MA at the Chelsea College of Art and Design and in 2008 I have successfully completed my Masters Degree in Fine Art. I live in London, work at my studio in Southwark, constantly exhibit my paintings in the UK and abroad and have been awarded a few international painting awards and prizes.
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