Dasha Astafieva in foil (2) Painting

Sergey Piskunov is a genre-defying painter passionately committed to exploring the core principles of hyper-realism to redefine the genre with his breathtaking works. The Ukrainian artist creates a stunning anthology of works which he sees as a “burst of emotion”, forcing the artist to turn inside out his soul and leave it on the canvas. His accomplished background and education as a computer system engineer may differ greatly from his career as an international artist globally exhibiting and creating works in Ukraine, Germany, UK, USA, Switzerland and beyond. But it is perhaps his unusual beginnings that make the artist so very exceptional. Piskunov’s primary focus and area of work is a unique approach to hyper-realistic painting, which utilizes his courage as an artist creating both intuitively and instinctively, he infuses his works with a spirit of harmony and balance, that is then juxtaposed with a distinctive and hypnotic edge. Piskunov creates work that moves seamlessly between many approaches to realism, while always remaining committed to the truth of his subjects and their stories. Piskunov’s striking paintings go far beyond hyper-realism, drawing the viewer into an enigmatic, transformative, exotic and sensual world of fantasy, seduction, and spirit. His paintings form an interior dialogue on the intersections of space, place, time, memory, culture, and history. His art emphasizes an aesthetic that is at once alluring, sensual and salacious, yet intensely intimate and personal. Whether the Piskunov is painting an intimate portrait, a narrative scene or even a still life his style is always grounded in the internal, the psychology of people, places, and symbolism. Many of Piskunov’s works depict an intimate connection to women, his respect and admiration is clear; he documents the glory, strength and fragility of women. By recording their stories and experiences visually in his work, he gives them significance, acknowledging the beauty, melancholy, and history. He does so by layering vibrant colors, and complex compositions that combine areas of intense detail with cinematic negative space, allowing the subject to really become the focus, and always leaving the viewer wanting more. In the same vein as other hyper-realist artists Will Cotton, Bodin Jacques, Chuck Close, or Ron Mueck, Piskunov’s work is often is metaphorical.