Ivan Tarasyuk
Little Land

Painter, printmaker, sculptor, and in-house artist of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, Ivan Tarasyuk is the recipient of the honorary title Distinguished Artist of the Russian Federation. His artworks have long since been known at home and abroad and take pride of place in major private and museum collections, including those of the Hermitage Museum, Russian Museum, and State Museum of Urban Sculpture in St. Petersburg, to name just a few.

A glimpse of the artist’s creations immediately transports one into an amazing world filled with light and warmth and kind to everyone. His narratives are universally accessible and relatable. His characters go about their regular activities, but in a certain special way: they do everything effortlessly, as if in a dance. The viewer, too, is invited to join in: this friendly circle dance keeps everyone warm and cheerful. Tarasyuk’s art is akin to his favourite jazz music in that a recognisable theme is endlessly given new interpretations.

Ivan Tarasyuk loves his home city of St. Petersburg. Everything that happens here – jazz concert or festival, exhibition or circus performance – sparks his interest. Sometimes creative impetus comes from a simple walk with a camera. Life itself is a source of inspiration: it is full of new encounters and experiences, as well as models for future paintings. The artist’s city is not so much inhabited by people as formed by them. Some characters are depicted with a tinge of irony, others with poignant lyricism, prompting one to contemplate the implied meanings of the story they are involved in. Interestingly, the same protagonist can reappear multiple times, painted on canvas, paper or porcelain or sculpted in clay.

Ivan Tarasyuk’s oeuvre harmoniously blends classical printmaking traditions and folk art, elements of avant-garde and postmodernism. Working in various media, the artist conjures up his own vibrant creative world full of joy and virtuosic expression.