I was born in Kazakhstan in 1975. After gaining my Master’s degree in business administration I was focusing on my entrepreneurship.
In school I loved science, however, it could not give me the answers I had about the wonders of life, its meaning and humanity’s connection with the surrounding world. As a result, I dived into an exploration of philosophy, religions and various topics of psychology trying to apply all the attained knowledge to my everyday life for over 20 years. Only when I discovered the connection between quantum physics and Tibetan Bon, Buddhism, and Dzogchen I grasped the integrity of our universe.
Can you talk a bit about yourself and your journey into being an artist?
I explore the concepts of truth, reality and self-realisation through the allegory of “Plato’s Cave” in a new wave of metamodernism and ancient knowledge of Tibet from the point of view of solipsism. I came to this point through years of practice and study of Tibetan Bon, and this was what pushed me to art. The first time I felt this desire was in Bhutan, in the famous place of the Tigress’s Nest.
You painted a lot of landscapes, mostly from your travels, can you tell us a bit of your process of painting? Do you incorporate changes in your paintings or do you paint them as it is?
I don’t need to change anything, everything in nature is already perfect. For me, everything in our environment is an inseparable and unified energy and the projection of one’s mind. I create with oils because it gives me an opportunity to express myself with a smearing technique. I don’t draw them, I transfer the surrounding space into the emptiness of a canvas, prompting the viewer to feel the connection between them and the infinite of their inner being.
How do you decide which landscape you want to paint and why?
Most often I choose sacred places that are full of energy and legends, they are drawn in one breath. Or sometimes just beautiful landscapes that appeal to me.
Can you explain to us how philosophy influenced you as an artist (and your art as well)?
Philosophy shows us that the questions of existing worried humanity throughout generations, never-ending, repeatable questions: who am I and what does the reality around me mean?
The same as the allegory of the “Plato’s Cave”, philosophy reveals how we cling to mind’s restrictions following ignorance. At the same time, it shows the doors of freedom and escape from those limits. However, I personally take a step further and include quantum physics, which is going to be the theme of my exhibition in August 2023.