Ilgvars Zalāns

Ilgvars Zalāns is a Latvian painter. He is generally identified as an Expressionist and is one of the most influential contemporary expressionist painters in northern Europe. In the course of his career he was influenced by Gutai group, Fluxus movement, and other modern art activists and has turned more to the scene of action-painting. He has stated that his artistic approach is guided by a focus on "images and motifs that are fundamental, archetypal, and universal in human experience, as opposed to those that are socially determined." Since 2007 Ilgvars Zalans had a 33-country world tour with his action-painting performances. In the past years he has actively taken the opportunities offered by artist residences, thereby traveling almost half of the world.