Prelude No. 16 Painting

I was born in a small village in Belarus. My international journey began at United World College of the Adriatic in Italy, where I spent two years, and that is where and when I decided to be an artist. I graduated with honors from Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. I’m also an alumnus of a five-month New York Studio Residency Program. Coming from a family with 7 kids, I had to get full scholarships to afford my entire education. During this time I’ve been a part of a few dozens of group and solo exhibitions, one of which was curated by a prominent art curator Dan Cameron. At the end of my study in Sarasota, Florida, I fell into depression, and being disillusioned in the art world, and the world in general, I decided to quit making art. This didn’t work out very well for me, and after a family tragedy, I started working on a new series of abstract works, which became the "Cairo series". One of those works got a like on Instagram from Jerry Saltz, and although it may sound foolish, this stayed in my mind for 3 years and eventually helped me decide to fully commit to making art.