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May Issue 2008
Gallery 80808 in Columbia, SC, Presents
Works by Nikolai
Gallery 80808 at Vista Studios in Columbia, SC, will present, Nikolai Presents - Heart and Veins of the South, on view from May 30 through June 10, 2008.
The artist offers the following statement about this exhibition. "The paintings of this exhibit are the beginning of my first thematic series. I hope to put forth work that places one into what I feel is most important about the rich Southern land, particularly South Carolina."
"Carolina is a land of all the romance and tragedy of a classical kingdom. A thriving country that enlivens us with its many green splendors and quiet life. For me, it is easy to see how the mundane is divine here. Even though I come from a very distant land, I can proudly say that I've been greeted with open arms and that I've found a heavy and deep majesty much like the birches, firs and meadows of my Russian childhood."
"Over the past fifteen years, I have come to embrace the liquid laziness of South Carolina. Her crocodile smile and relaxed aggressiveness is particularly 'chilled out' as an underlying stubborn humor radiates from all the people. And how many different types we have! There are the Good ol' Boys and Brothas, Bluegrass musicians and Irish travelers, Mountain folk and haunting Gullah storytellers. Like the proud Cossacks of Southern Russia, Carolina has given birth to America's most patriotic and rebellious sons. The tenderness and emotion of all its resilient and tenacious people has shaped Carolina's muscle. I've been to very many places and I can say South Carolina is most worth praising. The all-famous Southern Hospitality has welcomed, groomed and inspired me to pursue the Muses in life."
"From the fresh mountain springs of the
Blue Ridge Mountains, down through the muddy rocks of the Piedmont,
to the sluggish purls of the Low Country swamps, the blood of
the South runs through its craggy vines, branches, and finally,
through all of us. Throughout the nation we are known as the state
of hicks, grits and screaming fiddles and banjos, and let us accept
these as our proud banners."
Nikolai also offers this artist statement. "I believe that
art is often a demand rather than a choice. It assumes first place
before everything else and strives to tie itself to all aspects
of lifestyle and activity. I am more and more fascinated with
the beauty of our world because of regular meditation and devotion
to experience through mimesis. The opportunity to manifest gratitude
and love between the mystery of awareness and material existence
has been the highest reward in my life. To the artist, the marriage
of pure desire and will may lead to spiritual possession of the
world and to the realization of the many gifts we are given as
individuals in the divine order of existence."
"Over the past few years, I have recognized
a trinity in my artistic attention. First, I must become genuinely
aware of the various surrounding environments and cultures in
which I may find myself. It was a revelation to find that everything
in the world is a musical combination of occurrence, coincidence,
and pattern with a well-defined purpose. The order constitutes
people as evolving nations; cities as growing plants; rivers and
trees as melodious painters; and galaxies as countless microbes.
I try to give credence to my material existence through an emotional
combination of metaphor with universal, cultural, and personal
symbolism.
A different form of expression in my painting comes from the internal
world of memory gained from material experience as records of
emotional, visual and textural occurrences within the mind. It
is a practice of forced vision and acceptance of mental imagery
as performances of the artist's constantly developing internal
culture. Through this contemplative, truly personal and inventive
drawing and painting, I am allowed to tap into the world of dreams,
in which our souls spend almost half their natural life. Gods,
spirits, and archetypes reveal themselves and become tangible
through imitative presentation as a dialogue is established between
personal spirituality and the universal pantheon."
"Finally, in our time of unsurpassed development in countless areas of human existence it is truly a unique opportunity and a challenge to prove how the romantic practice of painting belongs in modern society. There is a mental athleticism in learning how to compromise and be both expressive and pragmatic. It is my mission to assure an understandable dialogue with the viewer and stay exclusively true to myself. I must be able to plant a kind of 'series tree' and establish multiple interests. I have to learn to give and gain the very most using any available resources. Expand and push the limits. I just want to accept that if I may live only once, it is only worth to create something different out of life to be sure I'm not wasting time, one of our most precious gifts."
"I am more than willing to work on diverse commissions, ranging from portraits and thematic paintings to master copies and interior decoration. Commissions are undertaken in all scales ranging from small sketches to mural-size paintings. I work primarily in oil on canvas, although I am willing to experiment with various mediums and ready to undertake any challenge."
For further information check our SC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 803/252-6134 or visit (www.gallery80808vistastudios.com).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.