Sergejs Djomins
Excerpts from an interview in the Privata Dzive magazine with Sergejs Djomins, a Latvian painter, whose work is exhibited at The Saatchi gallery.

"An artist who paints his wife and monkeys.
Sergejs Djomins [Sergey Dyomin], aged 36, is the first Latvian artist whose ironic, out-of-the-ordinary paintings are exhibited at the prestigious art gallery The Saatchi in London. The artist is thankful for the unexpected success to his wife Kristine Jansone who taught him how to draw and abandoned her career as an artist to devote all of her energy for promoting her talented husband in the world of art. (...) 'I was very happy to have my work exhibited there, and, besides being prestigious, it also makes people notice you, as the gallery is being visited by one and a half million visitors every day.' 'I have a very subjective approach to art - there are neither canons for me, nor a definite technique that I work in. I paint like I feel. (...) 'I created the painting titled Boris & Gleb during my art studies. I studied postcards with icons, and I liked the delicate way in which they were created. And I liked monkeys as much, too. So I thought it would be interesting to merge the subjects of icons and monkeys into one. The work is dedicated to all those poor monkeys who have become martyrs of modern science: they have survived countless vaccines, have been subjected to cruel medical experiments.' (...)
Coming up next to be exhibited at the Saatchi is the painting Singer, showing Kristine sitting by the Singer sewing machine. 'There was a time when I used to make lots of fancy clothes for Djomins, as it is difficult to find shops with clothes that would suit him. The painting shows my mood at the time of working - I was worn out physically, black in the face with anger, and full of resolution that I was doing it for the last time,' Kristine says. 'The hidden message of the painting is slavery in modern production, it is dedicated to all those Chinese and Thai people who work at the conveyor belt merely for their living,' Djomins explains. (...)      
'It's not that I'd get up in the morning and run to the easel full of inspiration, and start working. (...) I've never had any problem with  coming up with ideas, ideas are always aplenty.' (...) After completing her studies at the Academy, Kristine herself did not take to painting. 'I believe there is no need to smear the canvas if one actually has nothing to say.' "
  
              
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