Zoya Geraskina
Zoya Geraskina (1954, Riga, Latvian SSR) – a painter.
In 1984 Zoya Geraskina graduated from the department of graphic art of the Art Academy of Latvia.
She has been participating in exhibitions since 1978. Until the present moment (October of 2014) Zoya Geraskina had had 15 personal exhibitions in Latvia and abroad.
She has been a member of the Union of Artists of Latvia since 1985.
She works with oil and water colours. Her paintings can be seen in many prestigious galleries, as well as in private collections in the USA, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Israel, Russia, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, France.
In 1999 Zoya Geraskina received an award at the exhibition “In the Carousel of Centuries”, which was organized by art gallery “ASūna” and “Saules Banka”.
On the 6th of May 2014, in the main hall of the Riga City Council, a festive exhibition of Zoya Geraskina «Mana Rīga» took place.
During the past two decades, in Riga, a circle of admirers of her talent has been formed. Some of them obtain up to 20 paintings by Geraskina. Many of her works are in the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art. In 1990ies Geraskina even had her own dealer in Denmark, who was buying her works and successfully reselling them to collectors in Scandinavia and Germany.
What is the secret of her success and constant popularity? We believe it is due to the fact, that she is a typical outstanding representative of the Latvian school of painting. She graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia in 1984. It was a unique graduation – back then, four students of the department of graphic art received two diplomas at once: the first as graphical artists (which was signed by a well-known water colour painter Romis Bems, and the second one – by a painter Indulis Zariņš. This is why the touches of these two masters are felt in her works. Admirers of Zariņš unmistakably feel his energy in Zoya’s works, as well as his manner and cultural background. Zoya Gerskina addresses the world cultural heritage, the beginning of the 20th century, the works of young Picasso, and, especially, Georges Braques. Her still-lives with musical instruments, pears and coffee grinders bring us to the peaceful period, when youth ruled over people’s minds and life seemingly promised progress and happiness.
18 of her works were exhibited on the exhibition “My Riga”. Fifteen of them were revealed to the public for the first time. Zoya was trying to pass the spirit of the Riga neighbourhood, which rarely draws attention of painters – the Maskavas Forštate. She, a born citizen of Riga with roots in the Old Believer community, very well knows architectural features and the atmosphere of the realm of her childhood – Lubanas, Čaka, Katoļu, Maskavas, Gogoļa streets, as well as of its diverse inhabitants – gamblers, fortune tellers, musicians, sailors and prostitutes – all of this draws her attention. In her paintings Riga is bright city, full of expression, music and love. The exhibition was very colorful and fresh. The artist left the stereotype of grey, rainy and nasty Riga. She takes her spectators along with her and promises a lot of love and joy. This is why her works are so popular, since cold, moist and grey days really lack her energy and colours.
Georg Strazhnov
