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If you are interested in works of art by Igor Smirnov please contact us:
management@paks-gallery.com
Munich
Vienna
gallery by the castle
Heidenreichstein
Symbolic art of Igor Smirnov expresses the new tendency of art perception and interpretation.
At the same time it is focused on eternal values and affects the emotional and mental state of
the viewer through the process of associative thinking.
The relationships between time and space always were at the forefront of philosophical
thinking and found expression in visual art. It may be said that the twentieth century had
indeed manifested an insatiable thirst for the interpretations and reinterpretations of time.
There were a number of attempts of reformation, transformation and even refutation of the
basic concepts of art in the search for the fourth dimension reverberating echoes of time in
visual art. Following the new theories of philosophy, physics and psychology which appeared
in this century, the visual art created a new language for the representation of time. Thus, time
became not only the key point of life but of art as well, allowing us to evaluate art in the light of
its relationship to the temporality.
In the beginning of the third millennium the tendency to immerse in fin du siecle
esthetics became very popular and is reflected in the content of visual art. The apocalyptic
nature of this era creates emotional stress and the feeling of instability. The artist finds himself
in an almost unforeseeable situation, when everything in his world tumbles out of control
without stability in a state of permanent flux. Moreover, the course of global events and the
radical increase of tempo of modern life lead to the transformation of consciousness and the
alteration of the processes of perception, evaluation and interpretation of art by the audience.
As a result, in order to find a place in the context of modern art, the artist has to realize how he
can create the symbolic equivalent of a constantly changing external world.
Due to the desire to reflect the values and ‘realities’ of the world around them, many
artists create the art that is restless and momentary. However, if we examine the artworks
that are considered to be masterpieces, such as the art of Italian Renaissance, Classicism,
and the art of the beginning of the twentieth century, we will find that they always reflect
eternal values along with the concrete moments of time and life. The act of evaluation and
interpretation of art, and by extension the creation of great art, is not a momentary act of
observation and passive acceptance. It is an active immersion in the art work and in your own
subconscious. Contemporary art demands the same involvement and, in fact, is even more
pretentious in its own way than already culturally assimilated old masters, but the technique
for evaluation is absolutely different. The contemporary art viewer is brought up in a
computerized, technological environment and is familiar with virtual space from his childhood.
The viewer is accustomed to deal with symbolic forms through the associative thought process
as well as through the modern technology. In the modern world art and technology are mixed
and coexist together. The audience of the twenty first century can perceive art in both ways –
as a piece of art and as a source of information presented in symbolic form.
Solo Exhibits
2018 ANTONIJA gallery , Riga, Latvia
2016 Art Expo San Diego
2006
TIMMONS Gallery, Rancho Santa Fe, California
2005
Galerie GEORGE International, San Clemente, California
2003
SUNJIN Gallery, Singapore
2000
GALERIE MICHELANGELO in Caesars Palace Hotel, Las Vegas
1997
JAN Galleria, La Jolla, California
ART SELLERS, Inc., San Juan Capistrano, California
ART ENTERPRISE Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada
1996
ART BRILLANT, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
1995
ART BRILLANT, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
1993
GAIL ROFF Fine Art, Seal Beach, California
1992
ARTEXPO CAL'92, Los Angeles, California
1991
ARTEXPO CAL'91, Los Angeles, California
1990
ARTEXPO CAL'90, Los Angeles, California
1988
LA CHAISE Gallery, Beverly Hills, California
Picnic at the beach
2017, 55x70 cm
mixed media on cardboard
Selected Group Shows
2021 Pinter Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
2018 ART Expo Riga, Latvia
2015 Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art, Las Vegas
2013 Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art, Las Vegas
2008
OSTROV EXPO, Union of Russian Artists, St. Petersburg, Russia
ARTEXPO New York'08, New York
2005-06
TIMMONS Gallery, Rancho Santa Fe, California
2004
Galerie MICHELANGELO in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
2003
MARSHALL Gallery, Laguna Beach, California
2001
GALERIE MICHELANGELO in Caesars Palace Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
1999
ARTEXPO NEW YORK'99, New York
WENTWORTH Galleries, Miami, Florida
1998
JAN Galleria, La Jolla, California
1997
ART BRILLANT Gallery, Beverly Hills, California
1995-96
COLLECTORS EDITIONS, Inc., Los Angeles, California
1995
ARTEXPO NEW YORK'95, New York
1994
ARTEXPO CAL'94, Las Vegas, Nevada
1991-94
GAIL ROFF Fine Art, Seal Beach, California
1991
SUNSET Galleries, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
FRANKLIN Gallery of Art, Sacramento, California
CORNERSTONE Galleries, Beverly Hills, California
PRINT MERCHANTS in Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, California
1990
ROSOVSKY Gallery, Laguna Beach, California
1989
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
FUND OF RUSSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART, Munich and Frankfurt, Germany
1982-87
Major 'Underground Art' Shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia