BIO
A multidisciplinary artist and autodidact. He works in the genres of painting, drawing, sculpture, art photography, and spatial installations. He has over a 20-year background in production design. After a long period entirely dedicated to his career as a production designer, he returned to active personal art practice in the late 2010s (photography served as a kind of "bridge" for his return to contemporary art). Today, this vast production experience allows the artist to independently execute the full cycle of creating monumental art objects and installations of any technical complexity.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My art is not a detached exploration, but a way of living through reality. The main protagonist of my work always remains the human being and their existential connections with the surrounding world. I speak about what concerns me directly: borderline states, the absurd, chthonic, and mythological themes.
At the core of my work lies a constant dialogue between concept and matter. The starting point is always a concept that demands a specific medium. And during the working process, the very physics of the material begins to dictate the technique and guide the development of the form. I am not tied to a specific medium — form is subordinate to concept. That is why, in my projects, oil painting and charcoal drawing naturally coexist with assemblages of found objects (ready-mades), recycled materials, and broken porcelain. Different series are created using different techniques, but they always remain parts of a single conceptual field.
The signature Vova Lenin is not just a pseudonym, but a deeply rooted professional identity forged over decades of my work as a production designer. This name stems from years of practice in the production design industry, and over the years, it has become my recognizable hallmark — a kind of personal seal that guarantees a specific standard of dedication to the craft. My projects are fundamentally outside of direct politics or religion. Even when I touch upon social issues or turn to recognizable theological imagery, I use them not as a poster or a manifesto, but as a universal cultural code to talk about human nature.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
• 2025 – "OPUS III", Kirill Daneliya Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2024 – "Caprichos of LENIN", Kirill Daneliya Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2023 – "Panopticon of LENIN", Kirill Daneliya Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2022 – "Yüz Tutulması", Gugacontemporary, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2000 – "Cocoon-2000", DEN Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 1999 – "26 Steps to...", Photocenter on Gogolevsky Blvd, Moscow, Russia
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
• 2026 – "Talking Copy 2.0", Zayka Space, Moscow, Russia
• 2025 – "Eros & Thanatos", New Academy of Moscow, Moscow, Russia
• 2025 – "Hunting for the Soluble Fish-6", Zverev Center of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
• 2024 – "After the Icon", State Museum of the History of Religion, St. Petersburg, Russia
• 2024 – "Painted Hearth. Nose on Fire", [Venue Name], Moscow, Russia
• 2024 – "Hunting for the Soluble Fish-5", Zverev Center of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
• 2024 – "Grandchildren of Oktyabrina", Nigde Krome Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2023 – "Hunting for the Soluble Fish-4", Zverev Center of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
• 2023 – "Exactly Lab", Shoreditch Arts Club, London, UK
• 2022 – "Anthology of the Russian Chthon", Zverev Center of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
• 2021 – "Ball and Cross. Collector's Choice", All-Russian Decorative Art Museum, Moscow, Russia
• 2020 – "Global Conversation 2020", UN Headquarters, New York, USA
• 2019 – "Arte Laguna Prize", Venice, Italy
• 2019 – "ART for EVERYONE", PROUN_MOSCOW Gallery, Moscow, Russia
• 2018 – "TRAVELS", AAP Magazine, USA
• 1999 – "Kazantip-1", Nivinsky Gallery, Moscow, Russia
