Evija Krīgere
Evija Krīgere graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia and consciously turned her focus to painting in 2018. Colour plays a central role in her artistic practice, as she is particularly interested in its emotional impact and its ability to create a direct connection with the viewer.
Rather than concentrating on the subject matter itself, she is fascinated by the creative process. After a twenty-year break, she returned to oil painting while maintaining a strong preference for fast and expressive media such as acrylics, dry pastels, and experimental materials.
In 2024, she founded an art studio and gallery in Ogre, Latvia. She is currently actively engaged in her painting practice and in supporting contemporary art initiatives.
Horse I–IV, 2026
Oil on canvas
20 × 20 cm each
Painting
This series of four paintings is rooted in the imagery of a Latvian folk song: “Two yellow foals emerged from the sea, one with golden saddles, the other with silk reins.”This poetic fragment becomes the starting point for a visual world where horses transform into metaphors for celestial bodies -the Sun, the Moon, the stars, and blooming seas of light.
Although I turned to the theme of horses only this year, it has quickly become intertwined with my ongoing exploration of belonging. For me, the horse has always carried a mythical presence - a creature that might rise from the sea or step out of a dream. In these works, the horse becomes a guide between worlds, a symbol of movement, origin, and return.
The landscapes in the paintings may not resemble the Baltics, yet they reflect the inner landscapes that shape my sense of place. In dreams I often see mountains, while the sea has always been a connecting element between cultures - a horizon that unites rather than divides. These four paintings map that inner geography, where myth, nature, and astronomy merge into a single narrative about searching for and finding one’s place.