Maris Kononenko ^{Emerging artist}

Artist's country of origin: Latvia

Most important part of Maris background started building up at a young age, when he began to learn aspects of carpentry. While studying carpentry, he acquired a powerful toolkit – technical and practical knowledge, became proficient with various tools and manufacturing machinery, understanding on how to solve difficult technical problems, and ability to go through the whole process, from rough sketch – to final execution of the piece.

In 2015 Maris started studying sculpture in the Arts Academy of Latvia. There he continued to develop practical skills and his senses as an artist, as well passion for sculpture. While studying in the Academy learned and experimented with different materials, participated in collaborative exhibitions, and a variety of art projects. Being a self- employed artist, devoted most of his time working on the commissioned work – creating sculptures for his clients as decorative objects. In his personal practice, artist uses that experience as a foundation for research, and further practice development. Maris investigates relationships between commission and contemporary art, he is interested in different aspects and possible potential of this idea – whether it could be stated as a kind of post-contemporary state, or also a fixation or extension of practice. Maris interest does not reach into institutional critique, but into the relationship between the artist’s practice and socio-economic factors and various structural modules relating to cultural capitalism. Artist goal is to understand how commission projects or personal experience can be transformed or depicted, so that it becomes considered as a practice of contemporary art. In one of his recent works “About Commissions’’, he records himself while talking about his commissions projects (both accomplished and upcoming) as well his in-depth experience with clients. He tried to define whether talking, or simply speaking about that experience could be considered as practice of contemporary art. This work was highly rated by such artists as Kristap Ancan, Gleb Pantelejev, and the commission of CSM. Finally, graduated with distinction from the Arts Academy in 2021 Shortly after graduation, Maris successfully applied for the MA Fine Art course and began his studies at Central Saint Martins Art College (CSM, London). Maris past experience – created foundation, while studying in CSM, he will be able to raise his qualification, continue to push his practice even further and grow as an artist.