First of Mankind

I was born and brought up in a small Moscow suburban town Khotkovo, surrounded by woods and temples. I can see and remember myself as a little quiet girl living in her own world and playing with her own angels and spirits. When I turned 9, my parents unaware, I applied to an art school and got accepted. The long and exciting years of studying began. I loved to be with my father. He always smelled of wood shavings; and I could always find parts of it in his beard. Even now the smell of wood sends me back to my magical childhood world. He was a genius woodcarving artist. Once he said to me, “Read fairy-tales. There’s everything there you need to know. All the wisdom and all the philosophy that you would need in your life.” It was only when I grew up that I fully understood what he was saying. But one day my life had completely changed — my father turned into flames and flew away. I was 11 at that time. He passed away trying to put out the fire that engulfed our house. I remember that evening, when father turned suddenly into a fire butterfly, and I saw myself piercing through the looking glass in the search of fire butterflies. Where do they fly? And what are they — our souls? Ever since it remains the main question to resolve, both as a human and as an artist. Who am I? What am I doing, here, on this Earth? With pencils and brushes in hand, I went inside myself to search for the answers. Artist EKATERINA ABRAMOVA specializes in painting and graphic arts in traditional technique using oil, acrylic, markers, etc. She is a multifaceted artist; her style could be described as going in two major directions: the 21st century Neo-Expressionism, and Spiritual Ornamental paintings drawn on symbolic folk art of various peoples, most notably on Russian and Indian mythology. She graduated from an art school with honors and continued her studies at the Vasnetsov College of Fine Arts, Moscow; receiving her MFA from the I.E. Repin State Academy of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Russia. Her numerous awards include Gold Medal “250th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Arts,” Gold Medal “National Treasure” of the International Charity Fund “Philanthropists of the Century”, citation from the Russian Academy of Fine Arts for the participation in the exhibition dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the Academy, the Peacekeeper Fund Medal, and AVISKAR – 2016 international VAN GOGH AWARD, Birla Academy of Art & Culture, CALCUTTA-LONDON, UK, among others. She is a member of the Union of Russian Artists, Art Fund International, Creative Union of Professional Artists, Art Indulge Foundation. She was awarded an International Artist Residency in Hyderabad, India, organized by the State Fine Art Gallery and Kalanirvana Foundation; as well as similar artist residency in Goa Chitra Museum, Goa, India. She has also completed a 3-month International Artist Residency, at the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation located in Mana Contemporary Art Complex in Jersey City, NJ, in November 2016. Among her most recent exhibitions are: RedDot Art Fair, Miami Beach, Florida, USA, December 2016; Miami River Art Fair, Miami, Florida, December 2015; Artnado Art Fair, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, November 2015; Exhibition “Expressions of Color” at Gateway Arts Center, New York City, USA, May 2015; Exhibition “Take Your Breath Away” at the Victoria Space, Art Factory, Paterson , NJ, USA, June 2015; Kolkata Art Biennale, Kolkata, India, April 2015; Exhibition ArtExpo New York, New York City, USA, April 2015; Art India Festival, Mumbai, India, November 2014; Exhibition Golden Age, Russian Cultural Centre, Berlin, Germany, November 2014; Exhibition Innovation of Color, Westside Park Art Gallery, New York City, USA, October 2014; Woman’s Academy, Moscow, September 2014; Exhibition Art Through Light II at the State Gallery of Fine Art, Hyderabad, India, September 2014; Exhibition On The Right Way, Central Artist’s House, Moscow, September 2014; Exhibition ArtExpo New York, New York City, USA, April 2014; Exhibition Artistry at Artery Fine Art Gallery, Chicago, USA, February 2014; Art Cocktail Exhibition at D.E.V.E. Gallery, Bruges, Belgium, November 2013. She has had numerous personal exhibitions of her art all over Europe, India, China, and USA. Her works are in the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation Permanent Collection, New York, NY, USA; as well as in private collections in UK, France, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, China, India, and USA. She lives and works in the New York Metro area.