Two turns around the rainbow

solo show Ilya Kutoboy

Winzavod Central Exhibition Center

5.03.2023 — 13.04.2024

On March 5, a—s—t—r—a gallery of contemporary art will present a solo exhibition of illustrator Ilya Kutoboy "Two turns around the rainbow". The artist himself ironically calls his style "tropical primitivism".

The idea for the exhibition emerged during the artist's trip to India. However, the theme of the tropics had been troubling Ilya Kutoboy since childhood: "I remember I was about five years old, if not earlier, when I had a sunstroke with a high fever and delirium, during which I had bright visions. Unseen animals and plants, pulsing rainbow colors filled my entire mind for some moments and were forever imprinted in my memory. Perhaps in creating worlds that are sunny and full of naive surrealism, I am unwittingly returning to my roots."

In the gaps in the fabric of everyday life, the unseen and unseen emerges in Kutoboy's work. The artist, who makes us smile involuntarily, reminds us that in a world of super speeds and disturbing news feeds, there is still room for angels who can touch your shoulder, women frozen in Goguenian tenderness, palm trees that whisper, birds and cats - faithful harbingers of paradise already here on earth. And that art is first of all a play of imagination, and each of us is only stardust on the canvas of the universe.

Kutoboy's world is a space where death and pain seem to be absent, and even the rounded teeth of a snake cannot hurt.

A world where seriousness gives way to play, history to myth, and the tropics are not just a climate zone, but a state of mind.

Kutoboy Ilya

Ilya Kutoboy is an illustrator based in Moscow. In 2013 he graduated from the BVShD "Graphic Design" course. Collaborated with the illustrator agency BANG! BANG! STUDIO, RBC style and others.

Ilya Kutoboy is an illustrator from Moscow. Graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Technology of KSU (1997-2002), and from the Graphic Design course of the Belarusian Higher School of Art (2013). Also studied at the Illustration Workshop of the Russian Reporter Summer School (2017) and on the Design Legends course at Future London Academy (2017).

Collaborated with the illustration agency BANG! BANG! STUDIO, RBC style and others.

The artist calls his style “tropical primitivism”, inspired by his numerous travels to the islands of Asia and Indonesia. In his works Ilya mixes painting and graphics, scraps of phrases and words, creating images reminiscent of dreams with a non-linear plot. Often his heroes are animals, plants, peculiar ladies and unusual creatures who find themselves on the same plane of the ever-changing carnival of life.

SELECTED SOLO AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

2024 — Two turns around the rainbow, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Winzavod, Moscow
2023 — Blazar, 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 — Blazar young art fair, Museum of Moscow, Moscow
2021 — Syndrome of Tropical States, Moscow / Khlebzavod
2021 — MOST contemporary art auction, Krasnodar
2014 — Prosmotr, St. Petersburg
2014 — Time for art, Moscow

Exhibition Two turns around the rainbow, a—s—t—r—a gallery, Winzavod, Moscow

"Initially, my fascination with art started with music. Music for me is a big field for experimentation. I've participated in different genre projects, recorded solo albums and I'm a big music lover. I call my style at the moment - "Tropical Primitivism". The theme of tropics appeared in my work thanks to my numerous travels to the islands of Asia and Indonesia - the heat and raging vegetation of those places have deeply sprouted inside me. In my works I like to mix painting and graphics, scraps of phrases and words, superimpose ghostly or more concrete images on each other, which remind me of dreams with a non-linear plot. Often the heroes of my works are animals and plants, peculiar ladies and creatures who find themselves on the same plane of the ever-changing carnival of life. I think it is great when art does not carry strict dogmas, but expands the boundaries of our imagination. I try not to forget that I'm just stardust."

Ilya Kutoboy

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS: