Born in 1987 in Kopeysk, Chelyabinsk region. 

Graduated from the Chelyabinsk Art College (2007) and the graphic arts department (studio of Andrei Alekseevich Pakhomov) of the Repin St. Petersburg State Art Academy (2014). From 2014 to 2017 he trained in the creative workshops of the Russian Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. During his studies he participated in exhibitions and competitions in Russia, Korea and China, cooperated with GOZNAK (Mint). Pavel's works are in the collections of the Fabergé Museum, BREUS Foundation, private collection of the head of the House of Guerlain, as well as in private collections of many countries, including Russia, France, Korea, USA and China.

In his works, Pavel captures the process of internal metamorphosis that takes place within a person while experiencing something that comes from the outside. Having received an academic art education, Paul continues to develop in various contemporary media, experimenting with artistic languages, however a large portion of his visual practice is black and white graphics. In his work, the artist often collides academic drawing with contemporary trends, exploring the boundaries of normality and subjectivity, reality and mysticism. 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS:

• 2025 — Oberton Graphics Fair, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Moscow
• 2024 — KONTUR Graphics Fair, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Nizhny Novgorod
• 2023 — Fair |catalog|, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Moscow
• 2023 — St. Petersburg Art Fair “1703”, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Manezh, St. Petersburg
• 2023 — KONTUR Graphics Fair, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Nizhny Novgorod
• 2023 — Quiet Move. (Un)obvious art scene of St. Petersburg, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Winzavod, Moscow
• 2022 — blazar young art fair, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Moscow
• 2022 — Cosmoscow art fair, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Moscow
• 2022 — a-s-t-r-a Open.Vol 1, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Winzavod, Moscow
• 2022 — St. Petersburg art fair “1703”, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Manezh, St. Petersburg.
• 2022 — Collective self-fulfilling prophecy about our beautiful tomorrow, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Vinzavod, Moscow
• 2022 — Art Moscow program within the 48th Russian Atiquarian Salon, a—s—t—r—a gallery. Gostiny Dvor, Moscow
•  2021 — Group exhibition “12345 I go looking”, St. Petersburg, Russia
•  2021 — Cosmoscow art fair, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Moscow
•  2021 — Blazar, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Moscow
• 2021 — Art Moscow program within the framework of the 46th Russian antique salon, a-s-t-r-a gallery. Gostiny Dvor, Moscow
• 2021 — “Russian Shield”, St. Petersburg, Russia 
• 2020 — Cosmoscow art fair, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2019 — Art Event Suspense. Brakgausen Mansion, St. Petersburg, Russia *
• 2019 — ART Event Suspense.
• 2019 — ART Event Suspense 2.0. Port Sevkabel, St. Petersburg
• 2018 — Intervention. Hermitage Museum, Main Staff, St. Petersburg
• 2018 — International Fifth Biennial of Graphic Arts. Romania
• 2012 — International Art Exhibition. Beijing, China
• 2011 — 1st place in the competition for the design of the Olympic banknote
• 2010 — International Art Exhibition. Seoul, Korea

“Creativity must always be sincere in order to find its audience. Creativity is a constant search for its sides. It is the pleasure of discovery. It is the continuous dissatisfaction with what has already been done, as a sign that one must move on. 

Deformation (from Latin Deformatio - “distortion”) is a change in the mutual position of body particles, associated with their movement relative to each other. This series presents the deep deformations occurring inside a person. Perceptions of events, experiences and thoughts, as well as external factors pass through us, distorting the cognitive shell. The deformation is the fixation of these perceptions.”

Pavel Bushuev

FAVORITE PUBLICATIONS:

• Playbill - What to watch at the new contemporary art fair |catalog|
• Moscow Online - The a-s-t-r-a gallery hosted the opening of the group exhibition “Quiet Move. (Not) obvious art scene of St. Petersburg”
• Afisha Daily - Which exhibitions are worth going to in April 2023?
• Zhara Media - Pavel Bushuyev: “Being an artist is not a job, but rather a way of life”
• Buro. - “The Great Emptiness” and “Sunset in a Hundred and Forty Suns”: exhibitions visited in the past year and planned to see in 2024

Oksana Mas was born in 1969 in Ukraine.
Currently lives and works in Figueiras, Spain.

Oksana Mas is an artist, philosopher, humanist, urbanist, theorist and popularizer of contemporary art.
She participated in the 54th Venice Biennale (with a solo project, represented Ukraine), in the 55th Venice Biennale, in the 65th Film Festival in Locarno, at the Biennale "Women and Art" in Sharjah, UAE, and in numerous international exhibitions: Art Basel Miami (Miami, USA), Frieze (London, UK), FIAC (Paris), ARCOmadrid (Madrid, Spain), The Armory Show (New York, USA), Art Dubai (Dubai, UAE).

Oksana's works are sold at Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips and are in museum and private collections such as the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Stella Art Foundation, BREUS Foundation, Joerg Bongartz Collection, Sorelouzos Family Art Museum, Capital Group Art Foundation, Ekaterina Foundation , collections of Victor Pinchuk and Viktor Bondarenko.

EDUCATION:

• 2019 — Master of Fine Arts, decorative art and restoration at Poltava National Technical University
• 2014 — Master's degree in philosophy at Odessa State University named after Mechnikov
• 2003 — Bachelor of Philosophy at Odessa State University named after Mechnikov
• 1992 — Odessa State School of Arts named after M.B. Grekov
• 1986 — Illichivsk School of Arts (Illichivsk, Odessa region, Ukraine)

PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS:

• 2019 — AMBIT. Galeria d’Art, Barcelona, ​​Spain
• 2018 — Oksana Mas. Spiritual cities. Sotheby’s, Milan, Italy
• 2017 — Oksana Mas. Spiritual cities. Art Ukraine Gallery, Kiev, Ukraine
• 2017 — Oksana Mas. Spiritual cities. MA*GA Museum, Galarate, Italy
• 2017 — Oksana Mas. Spiritual Cities. Malpensa Airport, Milano, Italy
• 2017 — Gravity and glass. NK Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
• 2015 — Oksana Mas. Get together. ArtFactory Istambul, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2014 — Oksana Mas. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts, Kazakhstan, Almaty
• 2013 — Renewal of the Sacred. House of the Nobleman, London, UK
• 2013-2011 — Biomorphic realism. Mironova Gallery, Kiev, Ukraine
• 2012, 2018 — Die Gestalt. TRIUMPH Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2012 — Black & White. Bengelsträter Gallery, Dusseldorf, Germany
• 2012 — River Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia
• 2012 — Helium-3 and other Works. Barbarian gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2012 — Barclays Bank, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2011 — Post-vs-Proto-Renaissance. Ukrainian Pavilion. 54th Venice Biennale, Italy
• 2010 — Helium-3. Aidan Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2010 — Retrospective. Casamor’s Foundation, Museo Dali de Figueras, Figeyras, Spain
• 2009 — When Stars Align. Zorya Fine Art Gallery, New York, USA
• 2009, 2008 — Mimesis Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2008 — MAS. Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Russia
• 2007 — Hired to Dream. Aidan Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2006 — Assembly point. Gallery T. Ladyzhinsky, Odessa, Ukraine
• 2005 — Photo exhibition "The phenomenon of epidermism." Gallery "Karas", Kiev, Ukraine
• 2005 — Black and white reverse. RIS Gallery, Barcelona, ​​Spain
• 2004 — Oksana Mas. Odessa State Art Museum, Odessa, Ukraine
• 2003 — Oksana Mas. Museum of Western-Eastern Art, Odessa, Ukraine
• 2003 — Everyday Originality. Exhibition Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine
• 2002 — Oksana Mas. Center for Contemporary Art "Soviart", Kiev, Ukraine
• 2002 — The project "365". Central exhibition complex "Morvokzal", Odessa, Ukraine
• 2001 — Oksana Mas. Odessa State Art Museum, Odessa, Ukraine
• 1997 — Oksana Mas. Picture Gallery Valkenburg, Netherlands
• 1997 — Oksana Mas. M-Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
• 1997 — Oksana Mas. Museum of Fine Arts, Illichivsk, Ukraine
• 1995 — Oksana Mas. Museum of Fine Arts, Illichivsk, Ukraine
• 1995 — Oksana Mas. Central Exhibition Hall of the Union of Artists, Kiev, Ukraine
• 1995 — Oksana Mas. UN Exhibition Hall in Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine

GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

• 2020 — Cosmoscow Art Fair, Москва, Россия
• 2019 — AMBIT. Galeria d’Art, Barcelona, ​​Spain
• 2018 — Oksana Mas Monostand at Shanghai Design Exhibition
• 2017 — Contemporary Istanbul. Monostand NK Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2016 — COSMOSCOW 2016. Monostand of the International Heritage Art Gallery
• 2014 — 5th Biennale of female art "Women and Art". Museum of Modern Art, Sharjah, UAE
• 2013 — Project "Glasstress" at the 55th Venice Biennale. Venice, Italy
• 2013 — Art India. Mumbai, India
• 2013 — White Light / White Heat. Glasstress project for the 55th Venice Biennale. London, Great Britain
• 2013 — Pre-auction exhibition. Munich, Germany
• 2013, 2009 - Sotheby's pre-auction exhibition. London, Great Britain
• 2013 — Christie's Pre-auction Exhibition. London, Great Britain
• 2012 — MAS & PICASSO. Monte Carlo, Monaco
• 2012 — ViennaFair. Vienna, Austria
• 2013-2011 — Art Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe, Germany
• 2011 — 54 Venetian Biennale. Venice, Italy
• 2011 — The Glory of Ukraine. International Meridian Center, Washington, USA
• 2010-2006 — ART Moscow. Moscow, Russia
• 2010 — ART Chicago. Chicago, USA
• 2010-2007 — Fiac. Paris, France
• 2010 — ARCO. Madrid, Spain
• 2010-2008, 2006 — Art Dubai. Dubai, UAE
• 2009 — The Armory Show. New York, USA
• 2013, 2011-2009 — ART Kiev. Kiev, Ukraine
• 2007 — The Movement. Evolution. Art. Cultural Foundation "Ekaterina", Moscow, Russia
• 2007, 2006 — Art Basel Miami. Miami, USA
• 2010, 2009, 2005 — Group exhibitions at the Aidan Gallery. Moscow, Russia
• 2005 — Moscow International Fair of Fine Arts. Manege, Moscow, Russia
• 1999 — Foundation of Russian Artists. Paris, France
• 1999 — Golden-Art-Gallery. Cologne, Germany
• 2000, 1998 — "Marine-2000" Biennale. Odessa, Ukraine
• 1997 — Hall Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 1997 — Municipal Exhibition Hall, Maastricht, Netherlands
• 1996 — French Cultural Center, Kiev, Ukraine

SPECIAL PROJECTS:

• 2012 — Oksana Mas's project “The Phenomenon of Epidermism” won an independent critics prize at the 65th Locarno Film Festival
• 2011 — The unique mosaic group “Look Into Eternity”, consisting of 15,000 hand-painted Easter eggs, was donated and installed at the Hagia Sophia of Kiev Museum (XI century)
• 2011 — On the central avenue of Monte Carlo Henri Dunant, the works of the “Sphere of Good and Spiritual Renaissance” by Oksana Mas were installed. Prince Albert II of Monaco chose Oksana Mas's “Spheres of Good and Spiritual Revival” and Anish Kapoor mirrors for installation in Monte Carlo, Monaco

THEY ARE AMOUNG US

The biblical subtext is nearly omnipresent in contemporary art. It's the inertia of Christian civilization, which rules the sphere of sublime and symbolic. Attempts to link images to the Good Book are natural in cases where a dimension of timelessness is needed. Oksana Mas is also interested in the tension between mythology and image, and so she infuses her series "They are among Us" with biblical subtexts. The heroes of the series are common both for her work and the recreational urban spaces she scans to find the subjects for her paintings. Starting from the Renaissance the artist looks for a model to feature in his take on the biblical theme. Mas goes the other way round: her beloved scenes of rest and bliss are inscribed with biblical allusions. The series bear a stylistic resemblance to the base layer of paintings in the "Hired to Dream" series. Full-color paintings become more abstract, however, the contours wander, appear and disappear, and the forms tend to sphere in the style of Hans Arp or early Archile Gorky. Sometimes the paintings give an air of gothic glass-stained windows; the use of lacquer enforces that impression. The people and the space in paintings tend to be close in form and color intensity. The colors feel saturated, much like in decoratively rich paintings of Pierre Bonnard or Eduard Vuillard. One of the most memorable images of the series is called "God's Fool". It is an ageless person seated near a couple of young(ish) women. His facial features are erased in a manner of 1920s Malevich. In his depictions of kolkhoz workers, he searched for a formula to paint the body after abstraction. It seems that there has been a sacral subtext at work also: Malevich wanted to find an ideal type. This type was not to be depicted with the help of individualization and other realistic techniques. Mas has other reasons to "forget" the facial features. Biblical heroes emerge anonymously; they converge with the fabric of the outside world. Otherwise Mas' narrative would come too close to be particular, and the images would fall prey to endless references to iconography of the past. Plus, Mas is not a witness to a miracle, but simply arranges the constellations of matter "by the Book", according to an overused mythology. It's not surprising then, that some compositions are taken whale from other series by Mas. Acouple reclining on the grass is, of course, "Hired to Dream". Pigeons, as always, make reappearance, but Mas is reluctant to let them play roles from the Bible. As ever, the space of Mas' paintings is more readily associated with the subject of "Rest on the Flight to Egypt", and if the depicted people are close to revealing their biblical selves, their actions are bound to be as peaceful as the atmosphere that surrounds them.

Text Valentine Djakonov

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

• mmoma.ru/exhibitions/petrovka25/oksana_mas/
• www.interior.ru/art/2817-oksana-mas-transfiguratsiya.html
• www.heritage-gallery.ru/kopiya-art-lanskoj
• moskvichmag.ru/lyudi/eto-moj-gorod-hudozhnitsa-oksana-mas/
• viola.bz/egg-mosaics-by-oksana-mas/
• vsemart.com/painted-egg-mosaics-oksana-mas/
• www.meridian.org/thegloryofukraine/oksanagallery.html
• estetmag.ru/365-zhizn-na-vsyu-ostavshuyusya-zhizn-personalnaya-vystavka-oksany-mas-v-cube-moscow
• snob.ru/entry/157604/

Egor Ostrov is a third-generation artist, a descendant of the old-school academicians and iconoclasts of the 1960s. He thoughtfully defends the artistic legacy of the New Academy of Fine Arts (established in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s by Timur Novikov) regarding the preservation of the ideals of beauty and European tradition in art.

By bringing back to life both the imagery and fundamental principles of neo-academicism and paying tribute to the greatest examples of classical art, with his works Egor Ostrov offers original visual interpretations of familiar compositions, while ‘reinventing’ them for the modern-day audience by using the latest achievements and cutting-edge technologies provided by contemporary science.

It is rather difficult to classify the works of Egor Ostrov. His creative method is unusual and unique. Not only does it require familiarity with world-known masterpieces of painting and sculpture, but also a deep insight into the structure and internal rhythm of each work. To achieve this, one should have the ability to delve into the very essence of the image, detect and emphasize precisely those qualities that make it a masterpiece, whether it is Michelangelo’s tangibility, El Greco’s spiritualism, Bernini’s baroque expression or Ingre’s grace.

At the heart of Egor Ostrov’s unique artistic technique is a linear raster brought by the artist to a fundamentally new level with the help of computer technology. The image is painted on canvas in the form of lines with various thicknesses and saturation. This results in a special optical effect revealing the physics of the eye and visual perception. This is the basic principle of engraving: the strips are structured as a strict sequence with varying levels of thickness, sharpness, and bend; they have their own beginning and end. However, if we talk about engraving as a classical mean of image reproduction, the Old Masters used to produce exquisite copies that still were bearing the impress if their style. In the works of Ostrov, images are being passed through a certain lens, they exist in the world of an optical illusion, and thus the original remains the original.

Such perfectionism allows combining the past and the future without any loss, expressing it in the present. The imagery of Egor Ostrov does not aim for a momentary aesthetic effect; it cannot be comprehended with a fleeting glance. According to Ostrov himself, the modern world is overloaded with images, and the artist’s task is to carefully consider the history of visual knowledge accumulated over the centuries, to understand their internal mechanism and infinite potential.

In this respect, each work of Egor Ostrov turns into a contemplative intellectual and visual dialogue, a kind of tribute to the works of the Old Masters. The images move and vibrate; the hypnotizing raster recreates them over and over, it changes their appearance and mood depending on distance and point of view.

The art of Egor Ostrov brings back the notion of the ideal into modern life that is full of technology, calculations, and worldwide networks. The artist’s work is the embodiment of mathematical beauty, combining absolute accuracy of lines, purity of forms and ideality of the image.
It is a new milestone in neo-academicism, its coexistence in the age of conceptual art’s predominance makes it a retrospective and refreshing phenomenon at the same time.