At just five years old, Aelita Andre is an internationally recognized artist whose solo exhibition at Agora Gallery in 2011 sold out in seven days. Created with the joy and free spiritedness of her youth, her expressively colorful abstracts are remarkable evidence of how deeply ingrained the language of sight is in the human mind. We understand far more visually and intuitively than we need to — or are able to — put into words. Aelita works until a painting simply appears finished; intention and message are at their most abstract in her art.
Aelita conveys her message through a bright, bursting palette and energetic splashes and dashes of paint. She works in acrylic, with occasional added objects such as toys like plastic dinosaurs, butterflies and penguins, and various other items, including even a microscope. Aelita creates swirling layers of paint splatters and uses iridescent neon glitter to form an intricate, kinetic whole. The structural rhythms are unmistakable and completely instinctive, reflecting an understanding of composition far beyond her years. Complex yet accessible, sophisticated yet unguided, Aelita’s new works communicate a sense of excitement, encouraging the audience to tap into their own inner child.
At five years of age, Aelita Andre is the youngest professional painter in the world. Using acrylics and mixed media, she creates large tableaux of abstract forms as she swirls, spreads, and pours paint across the canvas. She often incorporates bark, twigs, children’s toys, bird feathers, and other found objects into her paintings, lending depth and texture to the overall effect. What makes Aelita’s work so compelling is the lightness that pervades her work. 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.
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.
