Irina Gerschmann, graduate fashion designer/artist
Irina Gerschmann was born in Pavlodar, Russia. After graduating from school, she graduated from the Moscow College of Design Applied Arts (MGHPA), graduating as an art Master (Diploma with Distinction). There she also received a well-founded classical education in drawing, painting and pictorial composition. She then studied fashion and textile design at the renowned state Technological Academy in Moscow (graduated as a fashion designer, diploma with Distinction), and in addition to studying painting lessons at a Moscow children’s arts school.
After her first successes in fashion competitions (Nina Ricci) and solo exhibitions in Russia she moved 1993 to Germany, where she worked independently as a freelance artist and fashion designer from the beginning and courses for painting, fashion design and cut construction, Sewing and Stickereitechniken. Since 1995 she led a model studio with several employees near the fashion metropolis Düsseldorf for more than ten years and successfully brought high-quality own collections on the market, supplied renowned fashion labels such as she in Neuss, Canda in Essen, Steilmann in Bochum, Ulrich Sievers in Neuss, Yell in Düsseldorf, HL Collection in Oberhausen, Accente in Bruges, with sample collections and was successful at international fashion competitions (Grand Prix International Fashion Design).
Since 2005, Irina Gerschmann lives in Höchstadt, where she has been engaged in the education sector since the opening of her art school (2006, now a nationwide recognised cultural pedagogical institution), which she continues to lead. In addition to sculptural design, painting and drawing lessons for children, adolescents and adults, the training programme also offers textile design (fashion drawing, cutting, sewing and embroidery) in a high-quality industrial sewing machine. Equipped workshop. In addition, various possibilities for intensive Mappenvorbereitung for FOS, art/Design/architecture studies, changing courses and thematic workshops such as “learn Magic” and calligraphy are offered. As part of the whole-school programme, cooperation with the municipal and state schools is constantly being expanded.
Style and guiding motifs
In Irina Gerschmanns work, her two worlds, fashion and visual art are combined into a new form, in which portraits, still lifes, acts and landscapes turn into abstract-ornamental compositions and become intertwined space-like Interconnected aesthetic structures.
The large picture compositions consist of unfigurative-expressively cut material and material parts and of realistic to abstracting painted image elements and picture quotations. A canvas grey cloth is used as a picture carrier, which is applied in a thin layer of paint and a variety of fabric cutouts are sewn on. The resulting large-format collages have a strong plastic effect and encourage the viewer to question both spatial and material effects. The collages are easily transportable to a roll, and thanks to their simple and thoughtful construction, they can not only hang on the wall, but also be placed in the room as an object.
The geometric backgrounds of their large collages can be found again as independent works in the latest hand-painted and digital images, which offer many possibilities also as C-print editions in various formats.
The realistic elements are dissolved from the geometric background in order portraits, a genre almost forgotten and now again in demand.
Her works were shown several times in various galleries in Bochum, in Kronach, in Munich (2009 House of Art) in Erlangen (2017-art promotion City of Erlangen) and other cities. From 2010 the works will be presented on an international level.
Education/Studies/activities
Russian technical School for decorative-applied art, Moscow,
1988 Graduation as an art master, Diploma with distinction.
State-owned Moscow Technological Academy of Fashion and Design,
1993 graduated as a fashion designer, diploma with distinction.
Since 1993, she has been working as a freelance artist and fashion designer in Germany.
1995-2005 creation of designs, cuts and sample collections for
Well-known fashion companies like Steilmann, she, Yell, Canda.
Agency with its own label in Bochum (DOB)
Room Facilities: Hotel Interconti, Berlin; Hotel Dorint,
Wiesbaden SAS Radisson, Cologne
Since 2006 Foundation and management of the art school Höchstadt
Since 2013 art lessons at the SeniVita Fachhochschule (FOS)
Selected Solos exibitions
1994-1997 Galerie Matton, Haus Balliere, Bochum,
Protestant Academy Bochum
2005-2014 Galerie Art-21 Munich,
Bamberg, Keller House Pommersfelden
2008 Kronacher Synagogue, Kronach; Org. By Action Circle Kronacher
Synagogue e.v. Regional art Promotion Kronach e.v.
2006-2017 Shopping City Höchstadt, permanent exhibitions Höchstadt,
“Open Studio” Art school Höchstadt
March 2017 exhibition “Paths of Jewish History”, Town Hall Erlangen,
Organisation and support: City of Erlangen, cultural promotion
The city of Erlangen, Catholic adult education in the city
Erlangen e.v., Jewish religious community of Erlangen K.d.ö.R.,
Circle of Friends of the JKG Erlangen, Sparkasse Erlangen
March 2018 Otto-Galerie Munich
Collections: Germany, Israel, Russia, USA
Group Art Exhibitions
1990-1993 painting-Exhibitions in Moscow and St. Petersburg
2000-2015 Dialog – Neues Munich Art Forum e.v.,
Annual Exhibitions Tegernsee, Munich
2009 Large Art exhibition in the House of Art Munich
“What drives us”
Fashion Design, textile
1991 exhibition “Young Fashion Makers”, House of theatre artists,
Moscow, own collection.
1992 finalist of the International Fashion competition, organizer: Nina Ricci
1995-1998 Presentations own collections CPD (fashion gallery) IGEDO,
Düsseldorf
2000, 2003 finalist of international Fashion Design competitions
“Elements”, “Grand Prix Fashion Design” in Berlin
(Organizer: Günter Drew’s textile works)