Aija Zarina

Aija Zariņa (1954, Latvia) belongs to the legendary generation of so called trespassers. In the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, she, together with other artists, acted as the vanguard of contemporary art of Latvia. The creative work of the author incorporates a variety of media and covers different stylistic periods. The extensive cycle “The Abduction of Europe”, which was commenced in mid-eighties, was characterised by neo-expressionistic drama, where the use of mythological allegories serve to resolve issues of feminism. In the nineties, along with painting, Zariņa created multiple installations, environmental objects, performances, stage design for theatre performances, prints and book prints. In the early 21st century, Aija Zariņa addressed the relations of art and politics, challenged politicians to scandalous interviews, criticised consumerism.