All her life, Latvian artist Jana Brike has dreamed of furious water, hurricanes, tsunamis and violent flood tides. Thus, her oil paintings and illustrations seem to be battered with foam and sea spray. Water is of course a strong symbol of life and birth but also of danger and strong emotions. This elemental force is then surprisingly paralleled with her heroes, peaceful children with large innocent eyes, pale skin and rosy cheeks. These creatures, almost mythical, imps or vestals, seem so fragile in this backdrop of unrestrained force.
Jana’s message is strong: it is about facing fear and embracing freedom, and this is beautifully and powerfully depicted in her narrative rich paintings.
In her first solo exhibition at the FB69 Gallery in Münster (Germany), Jana offers more luminous and metaphysical pieces than ever. The skin is porcelain, the waves are cold and the poetry is at its highest with these curly cherubs dressed with Victorian lacy chemises and crowns of roses. The striking portraits speak to us stories of youth and death, of the gravity of growing up and the nostalgia of lost moments.
The exhibition opens on September 6th at 6:00 pm and runs until November 8th 2014 at FB69 Gallery, Prinzipalmarkt 32, 48143 Münster, Germany. More informations here.
