Elena Figurina was born in 1955 in the city of Ventspils (Latvia). In 1979 she finished the Leningrad's institute of aviation.

She participates in exhibitions since 1978. In 1981-1990 member of "TEII" (Association of experimental art). A member of the Academy of modern art. She participated more than in 200 exhibitions in Russia and abroad. Her works are in private collections in Germany, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, the USA, Norway, Finland, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Russia.

Lives and works in Petersburg.

The world of pictures and sculptures of Elena Figurina is inhabited by people who are in a connection with each other in a spiritual and corporal way. By observing them meeting in a garden, playing chess, eating meals, you are convinced that Figurina depicts a life of a certain nation detached from reality, inhabitants of an isolated dimension. These people are sometimes drawn on separate boards, united in friezes similar to face-to-face images of ancient heroes, who lived even before authentic painting. In that times the world was looked after by gods, who interfered in people's life, so often you'lle see biblical heroes, Jacob struggling the Angel, Lazarus waiting for revival. The landscape is divided in shares by the earth, the trees, the water and the sky. This magic world is home to cows, fishes and birds. A world primitive if talking about detalisation, but depicting the basic foundations of the universe.

The composition is a synthesis of two forces: something from an icon (dark blue, green, red and orange, or the reverse perspective catapulting these people and its heavenly patrons from within the picture) and something from the ecstatic avanguard expressionism, testifying the desire of art itself to be the primary force. In these borders you'll find picturesque and sculptural matter, pieces of pure colours or a surface of bronze, which the artist leaves to itself. However when accustomed, you see the difficult, nervous vibration of internal segments of lapidary forms.

Elena Figurina began as a member of a union called "The Saga", uniting artists-expressionists in the 70s, who wanted to see art itself as the sense of their lives. They lived for art: weeks have been marked from Tuesday till Tuesday, when artists met to exchange experience. Pictures yet not dry from paint were stubbornely brought to the meetings in public transport. The nation on Figurina's canvases is a metaphorical cumulative self-portrait of the Petersburg expressionism scene, which allows to meet the phenomenon of art in all brightness of colours.

E.Andreeva

The State Russian Museum
The Museum of history of St.-Petersburg
The state museum of theatre and music, St.-Petersburg
Far East museum of the fine arts, Khabarovsk
Fine arts museum, Sevastopol
Zimmerly Museum, New Jersey, USA
Oregon University Museum of Arts, USA
The Museum of Modern Art, University of St.-Petersburg
Museum of Nonconformist art, St.-Petersburg
The central showroom "Arena" (Manezh)

Elena Figurina