23/11/2011
Vladimir Ovchinnikov
Erarta, London
A new series of paintings that blur the boundaries between realism and surrealism, fusing together contemporary Russian subject matter with magical, fantastic elements, often derived from myth and religion.
Curated by Gabriel Coxhead
Erarta Galleries London is proud to present a selection of new and recent works by Vladimir Ovchinnikov.
One of the most significant artists to emerge from St. Petersburg during the Soviet era, Vladimir Ovchinnikov is known for his paintings that blur the boundaries between realism and surrealism, fusing together contemporary Russian subject matter with magical, fantastic elements, often derived from myth and religion. His distinctively rotund, heavy-bodied, yellow-skinned figures have a primeval, statuesque quality, as if stemming from ancient monuments or religious icons – and yet at the same time his works also allude to social and political conditions, vividly satirizing contemporary mores, and puncturing the hypocrisy and spiritual bankruptcy at the heart of everyday life.
A pioneer of the nonconformist movement, in which artists rebelled against the State aesthetic of Socialist Realism, Ovchinnikov co-organized the ill-fated ‘Exhibition of the Workmen Artists’ at the Hermitage Museum in 1964 – infamously closed after just three days by the KGB, who also fired the museum’s director. In 1971, he staged a group exhibition in his own studio, which – despite being similarly repressed and having works confiscated – was key in inspiring the development of an underground, apartment-exhibition scene. Like other ‘unofficial’ artists, he continued to experience several decades of harassment and persecution by the Soviet authorities, but eventually emerged – after the reforms of the early ‘90s – as one of Russia’s most celebrated artists. In 1996 he was given a solo retrospective at The Hermitage.
In his most recent works, exhibited here, the tone is generally less scathing, more reflective and meditative. While there is still an important element of social commentary, the focus is on a more profound exploration of myth and religion. Other stories, too, serve as inspiration: images from Gulliver’s Travels, or from contemporary Russian literature. Perhaps most pertinent of all, as he enters his seventh decade, are his reflections on the artistic process itself, in the various paintings that depict the act of painting, and on the threat of encroaching loss and decay, in his powerful still-lives.
Notes for editors
Vladimir Ovchinnikov was born in 1941 in Shchuchye Ozero, in the Perm region of Russia. He has had numerous commercial exhibitions internationally, and his work features prominently in major auction houses in New York and London with excellent results at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and MacDouglas. In 1996 he exhibited at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and in 2005 he was awarded the title of the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. His works can be found in numerous museum collections, including the State Hermitage Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as in many private collections.
A catalogue is published to coincide with the exhibition, with essays by Dr. Michael Piotrowski, the Director of the State Hermitage Museum; Dr. Dmitry Ozerkov, Heat of Contemporary Art at the State Hermitage; and Dr. Diego Giolliti, the Director of Erarta Galleries London.
Press Information: Lisa Baker
+44 (0) 7768 310 038
lisa@pagetbaker.com
Image: The Illusionist, 2011. Oil on canvas, 110 x 140cm
Private View: Thursday, November 24th 2011 18:00 - 20:00hrs
Erarta
8 Berkeley Street - London
Hours: Mon - Fri 10-18
Sat: 10-17
Free admission