Concept
This series is dedicated to my experience of the Russian provincial summer—a time filled with absurd and contradictory scenes from daily life. The foundation of the works is based on real-life scenarios: a fight in the village center, the parking spots of local «Zhiguli» drivers near the church, queues at gas stations, and a boat overloaded with friends in the middle of a lake.
I wanted to portray the province through its vibrancy, energy, and even its awkwardness. This series can be considered my myth of the Russian summer—an attempt not so much to document events as to convey their atmosphere: the love for this place, the feeling of freedom, and the movement toward an uncertain future.
The visual language is constructed through a combination of vibrant hues, simplified forms, and large blocks of color. The text within the paintings enters into a dialogue with the narratives, revealing them and injecting irony.
«Sel Day, ” canvas, acrylic, 60×70
The core of the work is a scene set in the village: barbecue, a Soviet scene near a Khrushchyovka apartment block, and a woman in pink beating her alcoholic husband against the backdrop of a celebration. I was interested in how domestic violence and a rural festival coexist in the same space. The events themselves did not feel like an obvious contradiction, only a touch of absurdity.
«Rashn Paradise, ” canvas, acrylic, 60×70
The painting was born from a memory of how my friends tried to fit into a small boat—some were rowing, some were standing, some were clinging to the side, and others were following behind. A line from the song «Russian Paradise» by Noggano and AK-47 transforms the episode into an ironic image, reminiscent of Gogol’s troika, rushing off in an unknown direction. My characters are also moving forward, even though the boat is barely staying afloat.
«Column No. 0,» canvas, acrylic, 60×70
The piece addresses the fuel shortage, which has become part of summer daily life. Two columns bearing opposing messages—"no» and «yes"—transform the current situation into an absurd scene.
«Inseparable, ” canvas, acrylic, 60×70
Near the church, a parking lot once appeared, which became the gathering spot for local «Zhiguli» enthusiasts. Their images thus became inextricably linked. In the painting, they coexist as parts of a single whole, merging the mundane and the sacred. The lyric from the song «Half of me, ” MiyaGi & Endspiel becomes the lyrical anthem of this symbiosis.
