ROMAN MANIKHIN

My goal is to create life-affirming art, and that's why I want my art to be perceived with humor. I am also interested in life with its modern subcultures and what surrounds me in urban spaces

My works explore the correlations between the present moment and memories of the past. There is a place for humor in that, for mystery and love for other people. I am curious whether life is indeed the way it is given us in the perception of our senses, or it is all just a dream. I try to keep my art visually accessible by using bright hues and simple forms. Every now and then I introduce some new characters to access my research topics from fresh, unexpected angles.

Oil grants my paintings flexibility and allows me to depict objects with exactly the level of detail I need. For wooden sculptures, on the contrary, I rely on my trusted chainsaw in order to juxtapose that roughness to the elegance of canvas. This is my strategy to achieve simultaneously a sense of tension and balance. I tend to work in series, developing certain topics or themes that reach me in the process of daily meditation.