Inga Insberga

Inga Insberga (b. 1991) graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia with a bachelor's (2015) and master's (2017) degree in environmental art. Since 2012, she has participated in group exhibitions in Latvia and international design exhibitions abroad. Her master's thesis project, "SOAPSURD," explored the manipulation of mass media and the beauty industry, creating an installation of hyper-caricatured body parts cast in soap material.

Since 2018, she has been actively engaged in oil painting. Her first solo exhibition, "WONDERWORLD," was displayed in 2020 at the Theater House "Jūras vārti." The works played on internet culture, taking an ironic look at popular trends, artificial perfectionism, and the cult of self-worship found in the social media environment. She participated in plein airs organized by the Ventspils Museum in 2020 and 2023, with two of her works now part of the museum's art collection.

Inga Insberga primarily works in the traditional oil painting technique. Her works are characterized by the presence of a pink color palette and symbols and figures found in pop culture. The paintings reveal color purity, subtle transitions of tones, and precise lines. Her painting style is defined by realistic portrayal, complemented by a meticulous technical approach, resulting in a surreal aesthetic reminiscent of the virtual realm.

Statement

I am fascinated by capturing the material world, drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of my childhood, the virtual environment, and classical sculptures. My work often combines the historical with the modern, such as complementing sculptures with elements of virtual reality found in social media, creating a visual contrast that highlights the features of our contemporary era.

I primarily work with oil paints, using brushes on canvas. This traditional painting technique allows me to create soft tonal transitions without pronounced brush strokes. As I paint, I instinctively strive for visual purity and derive pleasure from the process and the result, seeing how spatial, voluminous forms emerge on a two-dimensional surface.

In my recent works, I explore romantic and nostalgic motifs, entwining themes of femininity, love, and identity within the context of the digital age. The saturation of visual content online molds our worldview and self-perception. The aesthetics observed in the works seemingly blur the line between reality and the digital environment.

Two of the paintings, formatted as phone screens, depict reflective surfaces—a mirror and a computer display—each serving as reflectors of the physical and virtual space. This interplay questions the authenticity of our experiences and the ways in which digital interfaces shape our understanding of self and reality. Smaller paintings reflect nostalgic and sentimental elements, each creating a sense of a unique, intimate spatial setting.