4-year Old Art Prodigy, Andrea Aelita, Debuts in NYC Solo Exhibition

Online, May 21, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Aelita Andre, a professional artist since before she was two, is about to have her first New York solo exhibition at Agora Gallery.

Exhibition Dates: June 4, 2011 - June 25, 2011
Reception: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat, 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/soloannouncement/aelita_6_4_2011.aspx

Aelita's parents are both artists, so it was natural for her to experiment with paint and canvas from a young age. Impressed by her work, her mother took some examples to show the curator of an exhibition she herself was participating in. He loved what he saw so much that he wanted to include the artist in the exhibit - and when he found out her age, he didn't change his mind. Since then Aelita has gone from strength to strength, having been featured in a number of international publications and media outlets, and exhibited and collected in Australia, China, Russia and the United States. She continues to develop her unique style of innocent intelligence and captivating creativity.

There is a wonderful variety to her repertoire of painted forms including spots, splotches, swirls and dots, with a notable absence of lines. Using acrylics and mixed media, she creates large tableaux of abstract forms as she swirls, spreads and pours paint across the canvas. Employing wildly abstract techniques, she uses her hands, various brushes and implements, and even her feet to spread and drip the paint. She paints scenes and objects from her imagination and memory, which she often describes aloud as she works. Additional objects are added to the paint as she sees fit, such as bark, twigs, children's toys, bird feathers and other found objects.
 


What makes Aelita's work so compelling is the lightness that pervades her work, a carefree approach that remains completely innocent of anything except those materials that lie before her. Colors are pure, forms unfettered, resulting in an immediacy and spontaneity that renders each painting unique. Yet underlying her free approach is a real attention to both composition and form, a testament to her intuitive artistic prowess. These paintings are both contemplative and powerful, providing a window into the emancipated creative subconscious mind of a child.

Despite her youthful age, Aelita has produced a vast body of work: over 250 paintings, many of them on large canvases. Her precision and compositional skill, informed by the innocent vitality and energy she brings to each painting, have garnered her international attention, both by renowned art critics and within the global media, and she has been invited to exhibit around the world. When interviewed on 60 Minutes, Australian art critic and Associate Professor of Monash University Robert Nelson described her work as: "magical, incredible and joyful, with a gestural vivacity." Panorama Magazine has named her "Jackson Pollock reborn."

Aelita Andre is of Russian heritage but currently lives with her parents in Melbourne, Australia. She first gained international attention when she was 20 months old, and created her first significant body of work before reaching the age of two. She is the youngest member of NAVA, the National Association for the Visual Arts.