Guntars Sietiņš

1962

He received his professional education in the Decorative Art Deparment of Riga Applied Art school. (1982) and the Graphic Art Department of the Latvian Art Academy (1988). He was awarded a gold medal for his graduation work in mezzotint technique „The Tree of Life”  at the Art Academy of the USSR. In 1998 he received a Master’s degree. Since 1997 he has been teaching at the Latvian Art Academy, in 1999 he became the Head of the Printing Department, in 2004 – a professor of the Art Academy. He has made a design for over 100 art and fiction books. He has been contributing to exhibitions since 1986 and has participated in many international print exhibitions: that include the show of  awarded artworks in Crakow, Prints Triennial in Foluna, Sweden (2010), Graphik aus Lettland in Saalfeld, Germany (2013), Time of the Mezzotint in Wroclaw, Poland (2011), Tjandzin, China (2011), The Secret of Mezzotint, Art of Darkness in Antwerp, Belgium (2014), Bangkok International Print and Drawing Triennial in Thailand (2015) and others. He has had about 20 solo shows in Latvia and abroad including Sweden (1997, 2006), the USA (1998), Germany (2006, 2011, 2013), Hungary and Italy (together with Istvan Oruss, 2014, 2015) and others. He has received awards in 10 International Graphic Art exhibitions: a diploma and premium at the 8th and 10th Tallinn Print Triennial (1989, 1995), Jury premium in the 1st International Print Biennial in Mastricht, the Netherlands (1993) and Biennial Aomori in Japan (2007), the 1st premium in the International Print Triennial Bridges Over the Mediterranean and the Baltic in Salonika, Greece (2008), a premium in the International Print Triennials in Krakow, Poland and Seoul, South Korea (both in 2009) and others. He has also had six awards Golden Apple-tree and other book art competitions. His artworks can be found in the collections of the exhibition hall Arsenals of the Latvian National Art museum, M. Curlonis National Art museum and M. Zilinska Art Gallery in Lithuania, the Estonian Art museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Gonzaga University Art museum in th USA as well as in private collections in Latvia and abroad.