Ilya Volykhine
Neo Expressionist Painter (Sydney, NSW)

Volykhine was born in 1967 in Ust Labinsk, Russia, a small village two hours north of the Black Sea. When he was only a couple of months old, his family relocated to Vorkuta, a remote mining community on the very top edge of the Russian maps - the same latitude as Greenland (Ilya's father was a coal miner). Aged 16, he moved alone to St. Petersburg to study at university. It was there that Ilya first nurtured his love for the arts. He often visited Le Hermitage Museum and marveled at the collections of modern art contained there. these images, along with the diverse memories of his childhood, have remained strong within him and have certainly influenced and added to the depth of his work.

In 1991, when 23 years of age, circumstances arose which enabled Volykhine to travel to the U.S.A. In New York he was quickly embraced by the vast artist community and was profoundly influenced by both the artists and artwork that were all around him. All his time spent in New York was spent amongst the art community, at gallery openings and meeting people who would later serve as mentors, including artist Julian Schnabel and gallery mogul Tony Schafrazi. He was soon drawing in pen and ink and quickly progressed to painting in oils. Being completely self-taught, his sentiment is that one can never really "study" painting, and that the learning process is in the "actual" practice of art.

Volykhine's artwork falls into the contemporary neo-expressionist genre. A strife-filled background in the USSR during the 1960's, 70's and 80's has definitely had an impact on both the artist and his art. Generally his work is figurative, allowing both memory and imagination to work together as the major influences in his style and composition. the paintings have an innate and raw sensibility, with a dreamlike intermingling of colour, imagination and personal cultural history, which produces an immediate pleasurable imprint on the viewer. Yet they also possess a somewhat haunting quality, stemming in part from his unique technique and idiosyncratic use of imagery, which produces a lasting impression.

He has exhibited with success and acclaim at venues in New York, Maui and most recently in Sydney, and his work is represented in various private and public collections. His current base in Balmain, NSW acts as both a studio and gallery for his latest series of huge, vibrant nudes, titled Favourite Slaves, executed in oils on both canvas and linen. Ilya Volykhine is a thought-provoking emerging artist who is making an unequivocal impact in today's art scene. In 2003 he exhibited as a Finalist in the Art Gallery of NSW Archibald Prize with his oil titled 'Portrait of Ken Unsworth'

Of his work, Ilya's says "Anyone can try and paint what they see. I like to paint what I think, what I dream, so when people look at my work they can see what's in my mind."

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