Geliia Riu (b. 1991, Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia) is a painter and draughtswoman whose practice celebrates the light, beauty, and meaning embedded in everyday life. Her artistic language is rooted in drawing and painting, where she explores the emotional resonance of...
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Geliia Riu (b. 1991, Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia) is a painter and draughtswoman whose practice celebrates the light, beauty, and meaning embedded in everyday life. Her artistic language is rooted in drawing and painting, where she explores the emotional resonance of color, the intimacy of ordinary objects, and the subtle shifts of atmosphere that transform daily experience into poetic reflection.
Ryu studied drawing and painting at Stroganov Design & Applied Arts Academy (Moscow), the Repin Academy of Arts (St. Petersburg), Arts Academy London, and the Royal Drawing School (London). She has also been an active participant in London Drawing for over three years, where regular practice from life continues to inform and deepen her approach.
Working primarily in oil and mixed media, Riu’s work combines classical discipline with expressive freedom, often drawing inspiration from still life, portraiture, and fleeting impressions of her surroundings. Her ongoing projects aim to create a dialogue between the seen and the felt — between external observation and internal reflection.
Currently based in London, she is developing new bodies of work that expand upon these themes, inviting viewers to rediscover beauty and meaning in their own everyday moments.