Aija Vinkelmane-Dreiere: Painting Life Through Emotion and Memory
Exploring personal experience, imagination, and freedom through painting
Aija Vinkelmane-Dreiere (b. 1984, Riga, Latvia) is a visual artist based in Oslo, Norway. Holding a Master's degree in Painting from the Latvian Academy of Arts, her work moves between dreamlike figurative worlds and vibrant compositions inspired by animals, rhythm, and movement.
Drawing from personal experiences, memories, and emotional states, Vinkelmane-Dreiere creates paintings that balance fantasy and reality. Her practice reflects a lifelong commitment to painting as both a form of expression and a way of understanding the world.
Painting as a Language
For Vinkelmane-Dreiere, painting has always been more than a profession. She describes it as her first language, something deeply embedded in her identity from childhood. Having begun formal artistic training at a young age, she developed a strong technical foundation while maintaining a deeply personal connection to creative expression.
Her work often emerges directly from lived experiences, transforming everyday moments, emotions, and memories into visual narratives.
Between Memory and Imagination
Two recurring themes run throughout her practice. One explores dreamlike emotional landscapes often centered around female figures and personal reflection. The other draws inspiration from animals and patterns, rooted in childhood visits to Riga Zoo during the Soviet era.
Growing up with limited opportunities to travel, the zoo became a window into a larger world beyond national borders. This fascination with freedom, exploration, and discovery continues to influence her artistic perspective today.
Our Approach
Aija Vinkelmane-Dreiere creates paintings that combine technical skill with emotional depth. Her work invites viewers into imaginative worlds shaped by memory, experience, and intuition.
Whether exploring personal loss, joy, freedom, or human connection, her paintings remain grounded in authentic emotional experiences. Through colour, movement, and symbolism, she creates spaces where viewers can find their own interpretations and connections.
Artist Reflection
"Painting helped me through sorrow and taught me that life is short and unpredictable. You have to do what you love."
— AIJA VINKELMANE-DREIERE
PROFILE
Aija Vinkelmane-Dreiere
CATEGORY
Visual Art & Painting
LOCATION
Oslo, Norway
DISCIPLINES
Painting
Fine Art
Contemporary Art
Figurative Art
Visual Storytelling
DELIVERABLES
Paintings
Exhibitions
Art Commissions
Artist Collaborations
Creative Projects
THEMES
Memory
Emotion
Freedom
Identity
Nature
Personal Experience
EDUCATION
MA in Painting
Latvian Academy of Arts
COLLABORATION
Collective Oslo