Yuriy Nikiforov was born in 1947 in Leningrad, where he is still currently based and where he continues to pursue his greatest means of expression through art form. After graduating form the prestigious St. Petersburg State Art and Industry Academy named after A. von Stieglitz (formerly known as Vera Mukhina Higher School of Art and Design), he went on to immerse himself in the contemporary Russian art scene.
Although Nikiforov was able to travel extensively out of the country in order to gain an intimate understanding of the contemporary art scenes elsewhere, he has managed to keep his art as authentically Russian as possible. Hence, the beauty of Nikiforov's oeuvre is that Western influences are accounted for within his works, yet the infallible contemporary Russian style dominates his pieces. This is what allows his artistic manner stand out from other artists who express themselves on canvas in similar ways.
Furthermore, it should be noted that Nikiforov was one of the creators of a radical artistic association TOHIIN (association of artists from Ivangorod and Narva), which held regular exhibitions in the museum complex of the Narva Castle. This particular cultural milestone can be found in St. Petersburg, which was founded in the 15th century and consequently saw six centuries of battle. The exhibitions that were held here, due to the efforts of Nikiforvov provided an integral social commentary and political criticism of the communist regime of the time of the exhibition. Furthermore, this allowed for the future generation of artists to purse their artistic interests further, despite all the hardships that they faced being labeled as 'degenerates' by the soviet state.
Moreover, having closely co-operated with The Leningrad TEII (The Society of Experimental Fine Arts) and artistic associations of other cities of the USSR, Nikoforov cultivated his interest in the establishment of art centers, in order to support the artists. The art centers themselves also allowed for Nikiforov's artistic extension and influence to reach distant USSR states, such as the Baltic region and cities such as Tallinn, Tartu and others. The importance of this decision cannot be overlooked- Nikiforov, regardless of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian economy and the social order still believed that art in itself was vital for the future of society.
Consequently, on the 20th of March 1999, Nikiforov founded an exceptional project in the heart of St. Petersburg. Although the venue itself - The "Pushkinskaya-10" Art Centre was already in place, he established an experimental exhibition venue called "Art-Polygon". To this day, this particular exhibitory space still showcases important movements of the contemporary Russian art scene, thanks to the efforts of one visionary artist, who fundamentally believed in the power of art.
Since 1983 he holds regular exhibitions in Tallinn, Tartu and other cities of the Baltic region.
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