RODION PETROFF
October 27, 2023 / November 15, 2023
Based on true images
On Friday, October 27 at 6 pm. after a two-year break, exhibition of the young generation of Lithuanian artist Rodion Petroff (Rodion Petrov) will be opened at the Baroti gallery. It will exhibit a series of paintings called "Blend", rarely presented in Lithuania. Several video works will complement the exhibition.
The artist from Klaipėda last presented his work in his hometown in December of 2021. During a period of almost two years, R. Petrov actively participated in exhibitions abroad, organized several personal exhibitions, one of which was held in 2022 at the gallery "Titanikas" in Vilnius.
R. Petrov's new works are like a collage of memories. In this cycle of works, the predominance of images painted with a strong realistic technique are replaced by abstract, expressive, deconstructed strokes, barely noticeable lacerations, and new colors that are not characteristic and typical of the painter's works. Paintings capture the moment when you are trying to reproduce memories, a confusion of images is created in the mind, thoughts and experiences are layered on top of each other, thus creating a picture of thoughts and memories.
In his works, R. Petrov uses the architectural landscape as a cultural and historical code. A city is an artificial human-made system that takes different shapes and forms at different times. Recognizable urban scenes and the usual social actions of the figures seen in them create the illusion of a daily routine. The details of historical and modern buildings combined into a kaleidoscopic picture become a new reality, raising questions of memory and time perception, identity and globalization. Deconstructed architectural landscapes connect to our experience of real and digital images. As the dynamic landscape merges with scenes of intense movement, the excess of information and images becomes a grotesque attempt to take it for granted.
Rodion Petrov (born in 1985, Klaipėda) obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts. Since 2005 artist participates in group exhibitions in Europe and beyond, his works are presented in galleries in Lithuania, abroad and in international art fairs. The author held 15 personal exhibitions in Lithuania, Sweden, Germany, his works are in private collections in Lithuania and Europe. The artist was a three-time finalist of the Young Painter Prize, won the audience prize of the Biennale of Young European Creators. Before that, the artist's personal exhibition was held in 2023 at the gallery "Titanikas" in Vilnius. In 2023 R. Petrov held a solo exhibition at the Leger gallery in Malmö, Sweden, participated in the art fair "Art Karlsruhe", the international exhibition "Nord Art" in Germany, and in the group exhibition of Lithuanian artists "Vilnius vibes" at the Erfurt Museum "Anger". Also, in November of 2023, the artist's personal exhibition will be held in the Šiauliai Art Gallery
