Sandjiev –1
E2 7DP 30th October Press Release Sandjiev
For new-wave post-soviet artist Dmitry Sandjiev the story of his epiphanic art conversion reads like a report form the "X-files". But even Fox Mulder and Dena Scully would find it an incredible case. A cloudless night, a lonely railway station in southern
"What I do know is that 48 hours of my life went missing, and my only memories of the event are of aliens," says the painter. "I stopped painting reality and instead started working on my series "Myths of the Planets'". Now his work goes on show in the Salon Russe exhibition at the Redchurch Street Gallery, Shoreditch, which runs from October 30th till November 25th. Each week features one of four leading exponents of Russian contemporary art: Anatoly Mosijchuk, scheduled to open the first week, followed by Alexander Babin, then from 13th -19th November Dmitry Sandjiev and finally Alexander Zhernokluev.
Sandjiev's inspirational influences know no bounds and he is equally admired in the West. His "Broken Time" triptych inspired by reporter Barbara Olsen's last mobile phone call from Flight 77 that hit the Pentagon on 9/11, is now on permanent display on Capitol Hill. After more then 110 exhibitions all around the globe, Sandjiev's work is held in many public and private collections in Russia, Europe and the United States, including Sandjiev –2Ludwig's Collection in The artist has been described as "leading global innovator of mythological-influenced fantasy" and as creating "an entirely new universe in painting and graphics".
His paintings are an indefinable phantasmagoria of many influences – from Buddhism, and Islam to Christianity and Russian Orthodox iconography and adorned with an audacious suffusion of aliens and angels.
The show is a brainchild of 34-year-old Sotheby's
Korganas has a treasure trove of contemporary Russian art stored at Christies fine art security vault, which has been selling like wildfire to a growing band of discerning British collectors. "Our clients are wealthy British people who prefer to stay incognito. They include a top executive at Deutsche Bank who has a great collection of Russian Social Realism, a member of leading Stockbrokers Charles Stanley, and a CIB Hedge Fund Senior Manager" – says Korganas.
The London show will be a prime opportunity to experience Sandjiev's visions of mythology, spiritualism and cosmic fantasy as seen through his mixed-media originals.
If people find such images disconcertedly disturbing, Sandjiev would say well and good: "I believe that the only criterion for whether art is good or bad is that when you look at it, you shouldn't be able to take your eyes off it – then it is real art." Exhibition curator Korganas knows exactly what the Russian visionary artist means: "I am always shocked to see the effect his paintings have on people – people look and it's as if they are hypnotised. It is the Gorgon effect." ENDS |