Gallery Portal 11 presents “Rhythms of light” personal exhibition by Igor Volkov-Tkachinskiy. 18.01.2025-16.02.2025.
This exhibition is a journey through time and space, where the past transforms into an impulse for the new. The central image, The Theatre of the Heart, is a metaphor for purification, fluidity, and connection to tradition, referencing the legacy of Cézanne and the great masters of world art.
Figures of the naked form and expressive still lifes create a rhythmic dance of shapes and colors, where each shade resonates like a chord in a jazz composition. These works embody the spirit of experimental music, Japanese jazz, and the precision of martial arts.
Subtle parallels with Japanese lithographs and Eastern aesthetics intertwine with the dynamics of abstract expressionism. All of this is not just a tribute to tradition but also a reflection of the artist’s personal experience, transformed through an abstract lens. Rhythms of Light — these works are like the breath of light and shadow, where color and movement merge into a meditative flow, reminding us that beauty arises at the intersection of chance and craftsmanship. “Kintsugi of the Canvas: A New Life for Art”
Before the exhibition, Igor Volkov-Tkachinsky’s paintings were unexpectedly partially destroyed: the model he was depicting accidentally damaged part of the canvases in the studio. This moment could have marked the end for the works, but the artist turned it around in his own way. Igor turned to the Japanese tradition of kintsugi — the ancient art of restoring broken pottery, where cracks are filled with gold, emphasizing the object’s history. According to this philosophy, each crack adds new beauty and uniqueness, transforming imperfections into part of a cohesive whole. Using this principle, the artist restored the canvases by rejoining the torn sections and covering the seams with golden lines. As a result, the paintings not only survived but acquired a new form — the cuts became part of their artistic expression.
This project demonstrates the ability of art to renew and transform, reminding us that even destruction can be the beginning of something new.
Ihor Volkov-Tkachinsky, the author of the new classic, was born in Chernihiv in 2000. An artist whose work combines traditional and contemporary approaches, his work explores the theme of perception through the depiction of movement, the vibration of color and form through dynamic painting.
The author’s early influences include street and classical art, which formed the foundations of his artistic style. Igor’s works are often referred to various periods of art history and such directions: abstract expressionism, cubism, French painting and Japanese lithography.
He believes that art is a territory of freedom where there is no room for mistakes. In his work, he trusts the process, allowing the emotions and symbolic images that come from within to guide him.
The artist is convinced that paintings should not be seen, but felt, because each work is an energy that finds a response in the hearts of viewers.
Martial arts, as well as Eastern philosophy, which became part of his worldview, also had a significant impact on his creativity.
The first professional exhibition took place in 2020 at the Galagan Museum in Chernihiv, later in personal and group projects in the Kyiv galleries: “NU ART”, in 2022 at the National Museum “Kyiv Art Gallery”, Museum of the History of Kyiv.
One of Ihor’s works – “Sunflowers” (2022) – is included in the collection of the National Museum, which emphasizes the place of his work in the context of modern Ukrainian art.
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