About

ARTIST STATEMMENT


The artist Mauri Virtanen is based in the city of Quito wich is the place where he studied architecture, usually he exhibits his paintings in Ecuador and other places around the world and has been recognized with some awards in Ecuador, Finland and Romania such as the First Place in the International Art Contest for children and youth “OPEN DOORS” that took place in Romania in 1996. His first international solo exhibition was inaugurated in the Palace of the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest-Romania in 2001, his artworks are in private and public collections worldwide.

 Mauri strives to create a conversation between the viewer and the image by painting what he sees and by creating compositions, his mission is to capture scenes of life, architecture, horses and flowers in a natural setting. His artworks are an exaltation of the color and shape, of the drawing and composition, of the rhythm and movement, of the unity in the variety and of the landscape considered as a living celebrity.

 From five years on he paints almost exclusively with watercolors, as watercolorist he has won the first place in the International contest of portraits that took place in Romania in 2016, has participated in numerous international events such as Bienials and festivals worldwide and  from 2016 he is the country head of IWS Ecuador.

PLACE OF BIRTH:

Quito, Ecuador

DATE OF BIRTH:

January 7th. 1979

ESTUDIES:

Architecture

ARTISTIC ACTIVITY:

He initiates his education at six years of age attending children´s workshops wich were specialized in drawing, painting and ceramics in the Art School of the Central University of Quito.

1985 Participates in the Interescholar contest of children painting organized by the National Secretary of the Convention Andres Bello, first category, Quito, Ecuador.

1985-1986 Participates in the first school contest of artistic initiation organized by Editorial Planeta, Quito, Ecuador.

1986 Attends workshop of techniques of ceramic modeling given by the Cuban sculptor Enrique Angulo and organized by CCE (Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana), Quito, Ecuador.

1990-1992 Attends the course of drawing, watercolor and  oil painting given by the teacher Luis Morales, Quito, Ecuador.

1991 Attends the watercolor and drawing courses given by teacher Ramiro Almeida and promoted by L´ART gallery, Quito, Ecuador.

1991 Attends the watercolor course given by the German watercolorist Peter Zimmet, Quito, Ecuador.

1992 Participates and attends the Plastic Arts International Contest organized by the “Lasten ja Nuorten Taidekeskus” in Hyvinkää Finland, first place and Gold medal, 13-15 years of age category.

1996 Participates and attends the Open Doors International Arts Competition organized by the Víctor Karpis Institute and the Romanian Cultural Affairs Ministry in the city of Giurgiu, Romania. First place and Gold medal 15-17 years category.

1997 Participates in the second Open Doors International Competition in the same Romanian Art Center. First place and Gold medal with certificate, 15-17 years of age category, price given in the C.C.E. ( Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana).

1998 Participates in the International Art Competition “The Rose of Lidice” Lidice, Czech Republic. Honorable Mention.

1998 Participates in the third Arts International Competition “Open Doors” at the Víctor Karpis school of arts in Giurgiu, Romania. Honorable diploma and gold medal: “Usi deschise”.

2016 Participates in the International Contests of Portraits of Romanian celebrities ACASA LA CARAGIALE, first price with his watercolor artwork PORTRAIT OF NADIA COMANECI.

2017 Is part of the exhibition MASTERS OF WATERCOLOR "ELITE 2017", 23-26.11.2017, Tirana, Albania.

2018 Participates in the 1st. International Watercolor Festival, invited artist and receives a honorific prize, 01.08.2018, Prague - Czech Republic.

2018 Participates in the 1st. Watercolor Festival of November, receives a Honorable Mention, 20.11.2018, Guayaquil - Ecuador.

2019 Participates in the 3rd. International Waercolor Exhibition & Festival, invited artist and receives a BEST WATERCOLOR ARTIST AWARD, 01.06.2019, Tbilisi, Georgia.

2019 Receives a SPECIAL AWARD in the International Watercolor Competition "STEP BY STEP", 15.08.2019, Gdansk, Poland.

2019 Receives an APRECIATION AWARD, Abu Rawash 3rd. International Watercolor Contest 2019, 08.09.2019.

2020 Receives an SPECIAL AWARD in the First International Watercolor Bienniale of Poland YOUR IDENTITY THROUGH WATERCOLOR, 11-14.09.2020, Palac Lucja, Poland.

2020 Receives a GOLDEN AWARD in the 4th. International Tbilisi Watercolor Festival 2020, 10-15.10.2020, Tbilisi, Georgia.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

1992 Art center Lasten ja Nuorten Taidekeskus, Hyvinkää, Finland.

1996 Art center Victor Karpis, Giurgiu, Romania.

1997 Art center Victor Karpis, Giurgiu, Romania.

1997 Muzeum Slovansky Svet, Sofía, Bulgaria.

1997 Strakonice  Museum Lidice, Czech Republic. 2001.

2001 Fundación Ecuatoriana de Desarrollo, 9. 8. 2001, Quito, Ecuador.

2014 Museo de arte contemporáneo PLAZA, exhibition DIA NACIONAL DE LA ACUARELA 2014, 23. 08. 2014, La Paz, Bolivia.

2014 Galeria de Arta Russe, 26. 08. 2014, Russe, Bulgaria

2014 Muzeul Judetean Teohari  Antonescu, 28.10. 2014, Giurgiu, Romania.

2015 Museo de la acuarela del Estado de México, exhibition EL COLOR SE MUEVE, ARTE CORREO, from 17. 01. 2015 to 29. 03. 2015, Toluca, México.

2015 Exhibition "Cuore di donna, progetto itinerante", 1-30. 04. 2015, Neuquén, Buenos aires (Argentina) and Sarno, Roccapiemonte (Italy)

2015 Taipei World Trade Center Hall 3, exhibition ART REVOLUTION TAIPEI, A.R.T. 2015, 07-11. 05. 2015, Taipei, Taiwan.

2015 Geba Art Gallery, exhibition of South American and Caribean art ARTE Y FUTBOL 2015, from 03. 06. 2015 to 10. 07. 2015, Bogotá, Colombia.

2015 Art Gallery Papatzikou, watercolor mail art exhibition GLIMPSES OF EVERYDAY LIFE, 18-30. 06. 2015, Atenas, Greece.

2015 Galeria de Arta Silvia Grosujelescu, exhibition ISTORIA UNEI CLIPE GIURGIU, 24. 07. 2015, Giurgiu, Romania.

2015 Museo de arte contemporáneo PLAZA, exhibition DIA NACIONAL DE LA ACUARELA 2015, 23. 08. 2015, La Paz, Bolivia.

2015  Galeria LABYRINTH, exhibition ANOTIMPURILE ROMANEI, 05-30.10. 2015, Bucharest, Romania.

2015 Verkatehdas museum, exhibition in homage of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, 11-30. 09. 2015

2015  Palace of the Congresses in Tirana, First International Watercolor Biennial of Tirana, 21-25.11.2015, Tirana, Albania.

2016 Museo de la acuarela del Estado de México, exhibition EL COLOR SE MUEVE, ARTE CORREO, from 17. 01. 2016 to 29. 03. 2016, Toluca, México.

2016 Taipei World Trade Center Hall 3, exhibition ART REVOLUTION TAIPEI, A.R.T. 2016, 21-25. 05. 2015, Taipei, Taiwan.

2016 Exhibition "CUORE DI DONNA PROGETTO ITINERANTE",  25-30. 11. 2015  in Bariloche (Argentina) ,  3-11.12. 2015 in  Buenos Aires (Argentina) and 15-28. 02. 2016 in Roccapiemonte (Italy).

2016 Get Art Museum, 1-18. 04. 2016, Taipei, Taiwan.

2016 Exhibition of the awarded portraits of the 15th International Festival of Portraits ACASA LA CARAGIALE, Club of Cartonists, from 12. 04. 2016 to 12. 05. 2016, Bucharest, Romania.

2016 Atenul Nicolae Balanescu, exhibition DUNAREA-O FEREASTRA CATRE LUME, from 20. 04. 2016 to 20. 05. 2016, Giurgiu, Romania.

2016  Gallery Progres in Belgrade, 4th. International Watercolor Biennial of Belgrade, 15-29.05.2016, Belgrade, Serbia.

2016 National Museum of Watercolor Guati Rojo, 9th. edition of the Award of the Watercolor Mexican Society, from 19.05.2016 to 12.06.2016, México DF, México.

2016 LeyDan Gallery, annual LEYDAN 2016 exhibition and costest, 01-31.05.2016, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

2016 Malom gallery, MAIL ART EXHIBITION 2016, 20.05.2016, Nyiracsad, Hungary.

2016  Varna City Art Gallery "Boris Georgiev", 1st. International Watercolor Triennial of Varna WATERcolor & SPIRIT, 15.07.2016 - 15.08.2016, Varna, Bulgaria.

2016
City art Gallery, first step of the travelling exhibition of the Watercolor Triennale of Varna WATERcolro & SPIRIT, 15.08.2016 - 15.09.2016, Sevlievo, Bulgaria.

2016 Stephanie Palace Exhibiton Hall, 1st. International Budapest Watercolor Festival "Freedom of Self Expression", 9-24.09.2016, Budapest, Hungary.

2016
City Art Gallery "Dimitar Dobrovich, hall "Sirak Skitnik , second step of the travelling exhibition of the Watercolor Triennale of Varna WATERcolro & SPIRIT, 15.09.2016 - 15.10.2016, Sliven, Bulgaria.

2016 Hong Kong Visual Art Centre, First International watercolor Biennial of Hong Kong, 13-16, 10, 2016, Hong Kong.

2016
Studio-Gallery Radovan Trvanac Mica, International Exhibition of Contemporary Watercolor, 26.10.206 - 26.11.2016, Valjevo, Serbia.

2016 Gallery Constantin Brancusi (Palace of the Romanian Parliament), Exhibition Universuri Artistice, 5-31.12.2016, Bucharest, Romania.

2016
Arkki Library, International Bookmarks Exhibition, 01-30.11.2016, Pälkäne, Finland

2017
Casa Achoy, International Watercolor Exhibition TODAS LAS AGUAS, 12-31.1.2017, Culiacán, México.

2017 Itchimbia art center, First International Watercolor Biennial of Quito, 01.03.2017 - 02.04.2017, Quito, Ecuador

2017
Muzeul National al Satului "Dimitrie Gusti", Expozitie de Arta Contemporana IN AMONTE PE DUNARE 2017, 05.03.2017 - 02.04.2017, Bucharest, Romania

2017 National Historical Museum, Second International watercolor Biennial of Tirana, 12.03.2017 - 12.04.2017, Tirana, Albania.

2017 Jordan National Art Gallery of Fine Arts, First international Watercolor Forum, 01.10.2017 - 30.10.2017, Amman, Jordan.

2017 Museo de la Acuarela MUÑOZ MARIÑO, Exhibition LA CIUDAD EN LA MIRADA DE LOS URBAN SKETCHERS, 07.09.2017, Quito, Ecuador.

2017 Casona Santibañez, First International watercolor Biennal of Cochabamba, 17.11.2017 - 17.12.2017, Cochabamba, Bolivia.

2017 Palace of Congresses, MASTERS OF WATERCOLOR INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 23-26.11.2017, Tirana, Albania.
 
2017 Gallery Kath Sant, EXHIBITION REGALA ARTE, 14.12.2017 - 14.01.2018, Quito, Ecuador.

2018 Numismatic Museum, EXHIBITION EN LA MIRADA DE LOS URBAN SKETCHERS, 29.06.2018 - 29.08.2018, Quito, Ecuador.

2018 Gallery Mannes, FIRST INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR FESTIVAL, 03-10.08.2018, Prague, Czech Republic.

2018 Watercolor Museum of Mexico, TLALOC PRIZE EXHIBITION 2018, 11.10.2018, México DF, México.

2018 Hall of the Municipality of Quito, QUITO LIENZO ETERNO EXHIBITION, 15.11.2018, Quito, Ecuador.

2018 Casa de la Cultura de Guayaquil, FIRST INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR EXHIBITION OF GUAYAQUIL, 20.11.2018 - 20.12.2018, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

2019 Central University of Quito, INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR EXHIBITION "UP IN THE AIR 2019", 31.01.2019 - 28.02.2019, Quito, Ecuador.

2019 Centrul Cultural Al Mai, INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION "LUMEA IN ARMONIE PRIN ARTA", 18.04.2019 - 05.05.2019, Bucharest, Romania.

2019 Silk Factory Studio Gallery, 3rd. INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR FESTIVAL & FESTIVAL, 01-06.06.2019, Tbilisi, Georgia.

2019 Kaapelitehdas Gallery, 1st. INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR EXHIBITION AND FESTIVAL "NATURE, POWER, BEAUTY", 09-14.07.2019, Helsinki, Finland. 

2019 Gallery Daliko, EXHIBITION "IN AMONTE PE DUNARE", 06-31.07.2019, Krems, Austria.

2019 Las Peñas Cultural Association, 53rd. INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 25-26.07.2019, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

-------
2020 Japan International Watercolor Institute, Internet Exhibition of Excellent Paitings Autumn 2020, 11-19.09.2020, Tokio, Japan.

2020 ART International Online Exhibition of Art: "Art: a reflection of time", 15-30.09.2020, Thailand.

2020 IWS Iberoamerica, WATERCOLOR ONLINE FESTIVAL "Iberoamerica celebra el día internacional de la", 21-25.11, Iberoamerica.

2020 Malaysia International Online Juried Art Competition "Landscape", exhibition of the 80 top paintings, 12.2020, Malaysia.

2020 Sare Art Gallery Moscow, International Watercolor Artists Exhibition "We are together ", 19.12.2020, Moscow, Russia.

2021 Group Online Exhibition Ecuador-Romania, "FLORI PENTRU TINE, FEMEIE", artists: Elena Cioclu and Mauri Virtanen, 08.03.2021.

2021 MAA Mondial Art Academia, Exposition Virtuelle, Interactive Internationale, 03-12.2021, France.

2021 IWS Argentina, Invited artist, Juried International Watercolor Exhibition  "Through the water 2021", 05.2021, Argentina.

2021 Spring Malaysia International Online Juried Art Competition "Figures and Faces", Exhibition of the 80 top paintings, 05.2021, Malaysia.

2021 All Ukrainian 1st. International Watercolor Exhibition BREATH OF WATERCOLOR, invited artist, Museum of Art of Borispil, 02-30.06.2021, Borispil, Ukraine.

2021 Union of Jounalists of Romania, Exhibition & Contest "Freedom and Journalism 2021", 15.06.2021, Prahova, Romania.

2021 International Art Exhibition LA FIESTA DEL COLOR, Galería ArteAdiscar, 06.2021, Málaga, Spain.





INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS:

1999 Exhibition:”Summer Shades”, ESPOJ, 26.8.1999, Quito, Ecuador.

2000 Exhibition at  the Amorella Gallery, 14.12.2000 Quito, Ecuador.

2001 Exhibition at  the Army Geographic Institute,  10.5.2001, Quito, Ecuador.

2001 Exhibition: “Umbrele verii”, at the "Uniunii Artistilor Plastici" Gallery, 3.9.2001,  Giurgiu, Romania.

2001 Exhibition at  the Romanian Parliament in the Constantin Brancusi Gallery, 12.9.2001, Bucarest, Romania.

2003 Exhibition in the Metropolitan fair run by the Municipality of Quito, 11.11.2003, Centro de Exposiciones Quito, Quito, Ecuador.

2005 Exhibition "Identity" at  the French Alliance, 10.10.2005, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

2008 Exhibition at  the "Galeria en Movimiento" facilities, 2-28.02.2008, Quito, Ecuador.

2013 Exhibition "Caballos y flores", Cafelibro, 1-30.08.2013, Quito, Ecuador

2013 Exhibition at  the  Scoala Gimnaziala de Arta Viktor Karpis, 16.10.2013, Giurgiu, Romania.

2018 Exhibition DIALOG INTRE ACUARELA SI PICTURA IN ULEI, TEOHARI ANTONESCU GIURGIU MUSEUM, 10.08.2018, Giurgiu, Romania.





MEMBERSHIPS & APPOINTMENTS:

  • Member of the UNION OF PLASTIC ARTISTS OF ROMANIA branch of Giurgiu
  • Member of the  NORDISKA AKVARELLSÁLLSKAPET-NAS (Nordic Watercolor Society).
  • Member of the JAPAN INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR INSTITUTE JIWI
  • Appointed as Corepresentative of IWS ECUADOR (International Watercolor Society branch Ecuador), 15.03.2016
  • Appointed as COUNTRY HEAD of IWS ECUADOR (International Watercolor Society branch Ecuador), 28.09.2016
  • Appointed as BOARD MEMBER of IWS ECUADOR (International watercolor Society), 01.11.2016
  • Appointes as Chevalier Academicien (knigh Academist) of the MAA (Mondial Art Academia), 09.019
  • Appointed as Ambassador of the MAA (Mondial Art Academia) for Ecuador. 10.2020
  • Appointed as JURY MEMBER, 6th  INTERNATIONAL "ZEUGMA - LOVE, TOLERANCE AND PEACE THROUGH ART'' Watercolor Festival & Golden Brush Contest, 17.06.2017, Ganziantep, Turkey.
  • Appointed as JURY MEMBER, BODY PAINTING INTERNATIONAL CONTEST, 11.02.2018, Veracruz, Puyo, Ecuador.
  • Appointed as JURY MEMBER, TLALOC PRIZE INTERNATIONAL CONTEST, 31.07.2018, México.
  • Appointed as JURY MEMBER, AMAZONIA INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR EXHIBITION, Collezione Privata Gallery, Novosivirsk, 10.09.2020, Russia.
  • Appointed as JURY MEMBER, Second Season of the International Watercolor Competition  "Step by Step", 10.2020, Poland.
  • Appointed  as JURY MEMBER, "10th. All Ucranian Project Prosto Nebylytsi ", organized by Center for Cultural and Art Initiatives of the city of Lviv, 12.2020, Ucrania.




DEMONSTRATIONS & WORKSHOPS:

2017 Watercolor demonstration during the festivities of the city of Guayaquil, Casa del Artista Plástico, 25.07.2017, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

2017 Watercolor online workshop sponsored by the WATERCOLOR MAGAZINE with the subject PAINT A HORSE, 26-30.06.2017

2017 Watercolor demonstration to celebrate the DAY OF THE CULTURE, Ministry of Culture of Ecuador, 07.08.2017, Quito, Ecuador.

2017 Watercolor demonstration as part of the exhibition REGALA ARTE, Gallery Kath Sant, 14.12.2017, Quito, Ecuador.

2018 Watercolor plein air demonstration for the boy scouts of Quito, Metropolitan Park, Quito, Ecuador, 07.01.2018

2018 Watercolor demonstration during the FIRST INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR FESTIVAL IN PRAGUE, Gallery Mannes, 04.07.2018, Prague, Czech Republic.

2018  Watercolor plein air workshop and demonstration, DIMITRIE GUSTI Village Museum, 07.08.2018, Bucharest, Romania.

2018  Watercolor plein air workshop and demonstration, TEOHARI ANTONESCU Giurgiu Museum, 09.08.2018, Giurgiu, Romania.

2018  Watercolor workshop, SCOALA GIMNAZIALA DE ARTA  VICTOR KARPIS, 10.08.2018, Giurgiu, Romania.

2019 Watercolor demonstration in the TV channel of the Central University of Quito, 21.01.2019, Quito, Ecuador.

2019 Watercolor demonstration in the TV channel Asomavision, 27.01.2019, Quito, Ecuador.

2019 Watercolor demonstration in the Central University of Quito, 01.02.2019, Quito, Ecuador.

2019 Watercolor demonstration in the Silk Factory Studio Gallery, 03.06.2019, Tbilisi, Georgia.

2019 Watercolor demonstration in the Hall of the Railway Station of Quito, 26.06.2019, Quito, Ecuador.






GALLERY REPRESENTATIONS:


  •   WALKER WESTERN GALLERY        






COLLECTIONS:

 Mauri Virtanen´s artworks are part of the collection of art of the following places among others:
  1. Museum of the Ecuadorian Navy, Quito, Ecuador
  2. Museum of the Watercolor, Toluca, México
  3. Museum of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito, Quito, Ecuador
  4. Museum of the Palace of the Archbishop of Quito, Quito, Ecuador
  5. Museum of the El Quinche Sanctuary, El Quinche, Ecuador
  6. Directorate of the Ecuadorian Civil Aviation, Quito, Ecuador
  7. Palace of the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  8. Monastery of the Annuntiation, Chicago, USA
  9. El Sagrario church, Quito, Ecuador
  10. La Paz church in Quito, Quito, Ecuador
  11. La Basílica church, Quito, Ecuador
  12. San Blas church, Quito, Ecuador
  13. Pedro Luis Calero high school, Quito, Ecuador
  14. Collection of art of Mrs. Tarja Halonen, former president of Finland
  15. Collection of art of Mr. Chun, former ambassador of South Korea in Ecuador
  16. Collection of art of Mr. P. Linder, former ambassador of Germany in Ecuador
  17. Collection of art of Mr. Viktor Boiangiu, former head of the Prefectura of Giurgiu, Romania.
and some of his pieces of art are in a diversity of countries such as: Poland, Finland, Italy, Taiwán, Ecuador, France, Germany, USA, Canadá, Denmark, New Zealand, Kuwait, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, México, Greece, Colombia, Perú, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Georgia, Spain, Hungary, Serbia, etc.






OTHER CATEGORIES:

Mauri Virtanen is the head of MVN, THE ART OF MAURI VIRTANEN, actually he exhibits and sells his artworks in local places in Ecuador and also in online stores such as:
  • www.etsy.com/shops/maurivirtanen
  • www.es.dawanda.com/shop/MauriVirtanen (soon)
Mauri Virtanen has a long experience in teaching drawing and painting and one of his leading hobbies is photography.


 


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"MAURI VIRTANEN is made to shine, this is told by his unblemished traces and by his powerful creative spirit. This is why I appeal to his enormous faiht for him not to desmay, because beyond his talent is consistency wich will consolidate without any doubt his steps in this universe that only the chosen have a space".

 MVN, the art of Mauri Virtanen • Quito, Ecuador0059322521377
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