Madara Freidenfelde ^{Emerging artist}

Artist's country of origin: Latvia

Madara Freidenfelde (2000) is a multidisciplinary artist from Riga, Latvia, expanding the definition of painting by integrating its elements into sculptural textile-based objects. Freidenfelde's works often use the reduced geometry of natural elements and references to the symbols of Latvian mythology. Her artworks, when combined with the self-knitted canvases, reveal a humble yet wild existence in everyday chaos. The knitting pattern, which is based on the symmetry principle, however, uneven at the core due to the efficiency of handwork, serves as a reference for patterns found in agriculture and nature, such as potato furrows, tree bark, leaves, meadows, waves, etc. Therefore reflecting on author’s national identity. Knitting, as a category of handicrafts historically attributed to women, is a way for Madara to break rusty stereotypes and bring out from the shell of historical assumptions a medium with innovative potential in painting. Freidenfelde began her path in arts at Janis Rozental's Art School (2019) and went on to study painting at the Art Academy of Latvia (2024). She has twice taken part in Erasmus+ projects in the Czech Republic, attending the Faculty of Fine Arts at Brno University of Technology (2021/2022) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (2023). Freidenfelde has participated in several solo and group shows in Latvia (M/Gallery, Art Gallery MANS'S, Bulduri Exhibition House, etc.) as well as the Czech Republic (GVUN, Nachod). One of the works from the last solo exhibition “Fields of Time Fields” has been included in the Grand Poet art collection. Through her expanded practice Freidenfelde continues exploring and interacting with local and international contemporary art scene.