About Uslada

Uslada is a visual artist who taps into the flow of life to create her paintings, sensual and exuberant. Uslada works in a distinctive style that she calls imaginal symbolism characterized by bold, symbolic works in which vivid archetypes are woven into mystical narratives. Her art is an amalgam of rich color, texture and intricate shapes which portray the magnificence of the Universe, and the beauty of all of us in it.

Just as the Olympian myth tells us that Athena was born fully-formed from the forehead of Zeus, Uslada’s art slumbered inside her for decades before bursting forth into the material world, unsuspected, certainly by the outsider, almost by an other-wordly fiat. This happened in the spring of 2011 after Uslada had experienced a mystical awakening in Tuscany, Italy.

Surrounded by the astonishing beauty of the Tuscan landscape, Uslada’s soul was awakened to the infinite depths of beauty and endless creativity that had been inside her all along, and the art began to spring forth in a style that was very authentic and complete from the very start. 

One year and a half after starting to paint in Belgium where she lived at the time, Uslada met Marcel Paquet, Belgian philosopher and art writer.  Marcel Paquet wrote books about artists such as Bram Bogart, Fernando Botero, Jean Dubuffet, Paul Delvaux, René Magritte and many others. These books were inspired by his personal friendships with the artists.  Marcel Paquet was a supporter of Uslada’s art until his death in 2014, and dedicated a philosophical essay to her oeuvre. Read more about Uslada’s inspiring story about her friendship with Marcel Paquet here.

Uslada finds her inspiration in a large array of things. Her source of creativity is the beauty and sacredness of nature and its astonishing colors - both the quiet palette she grew up surrounded by during her childhood near the Baltic Sea, as well as exotic warmth of vibrant colors she encounters during her travels to faraway lands. She is also inspired by a large spectrum of different art styles, forms and techniques, including Asian filigree, Venetian glass work, chern (чернь) and gold that are wide-spread in Russian art, to name a few.

Uslada has exhibited her art in solo shows, as well as together with other artists. Her paintings are part of private collections in France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belgium, Venezuela, Philippines and the United States.

Uslada was born in Latvia and began her artistic parcours in Belgium. She now resides in Lugano, Switzerland. The artist was known during the earlier part of her career up to 2019 as Foxi Von Riga.