Elina Cerla grew up in London in an Anglo-French context before moving to Spain. With a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Cultural Theory and Policy, Elina now focuses on painting as the central axis of artistic creation. Elina learned the technical language of figuration with artists who were an inspiration as well as studying at LARA (London), Universidad Complutense (Madrid) and BAA (Barcelona).

Elina has exhibited in Spain, France and the UK, and has recently opened these exhibitions to the exploration of painting itself, as in the solo exhibition in 2022 in Arles during the “Rencontres Photographiques” that looked into the dialogue between painting and photography.

Elina’s professional experience spans curating exhibitions, cultural consultancy and founding Dialogues for Artists in a Changing World. In parallel with painting, Elina writes prose, theory and spoken word. Elina curated the project “FigureThis!” (London) about the human figure and was a speaker at TRAC (The Representational Art Conference) in the Netherlands and California. Elina teaches drawing, painting and visual perception under the title “Visual Thinking”. Elina has lived and worked in London, Madrid and Paris, and is currently based in Barcelona.

Elina Cerla stems from a long pictorial tradition, investigating the fusions between the human and the animal and exploring a fascination for what makes us who we are, our lights and shadows. Whether captured in chiaroscuro with oil on canvas or with the exploratory and playful stroke of charcoal. Elina’s work is a celebration of lived experience with all its paradoxes and depths.

The figures and presences in Elina Cerla’s work are the protagonists of new stories told through color and light, glazes and impasto and the work is an invitation to fill spaces of indeterminacy, between what is seen and what is suggested, actively involving the viewer in the dialogue and reflection that each of the pieces generate.

Elina Cerla uses the phrase “this strange thing that I am” to celebrate a multifaceted creative output, and a passion for stories, words and ideas, as well as a deep pictorial commitment.