Ivan Iliushchenko was born in 1983 in Barnaul, Russia. Lives and works in Russia. Degree in Architecture and Design, 2006, Altay State Technical University, Russia.
Member of Russian Artists Union since 2017. Ivan Iliushchenko is an artist with architectural education who works in airbrush technique. His range of works includes figurative art, mixed techniques.
He tends to choose objects, where he can be hyper-realistic, such as bare skin or hair. As the surface he mostly uses plywood to have natural and live material, not processed in many ways. His main idea is to show how the imperfections of wood come through the paint and merge with the objects he draws, creating layers in the painting corresponding to the depth of human nature.
Another interest of his is painting on textured material — wood supplemented with plaster, which adds complexity and volume. There are series of works in mentioned technique dedicated to mythology and architecture as a part of cultural heritage and its impact on modern views.
His works are among private collections in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Greece, USA and Russia.
“Teacher`s hands” 110×150 cm
“To the idea” 152×100 cm
Series of works “Hands” includes hyper-realistic paintings in airbrush technique. Drawing hands of people, the artist admires all those peculiarities such as wrinkles and even fingerprints. He chooses to depict hands much bigger than they are in real life in order to be as precise as possible. The airbrush technique allows to regulate paint flow and create life in a painting. The artist sees hands as the new type of portraits without showing people's faces because hands mirror their occupations and lives in general.
“Father`s hands” 110×150 cm
“Family portrait” 80×100 cm
“Family portrait” 85×50 cm
“5 o`clock” 120×60 cm
“Animae dimidium meae” 100×150 cm
“Liquid fantasy” 150×50 cm
The painting shows hands of a child, holding LEGO pieces which melt. Melting cubes show how easy we as children can recreate any idea that comes to our mind. The fantasy has no boundaries, neither in mind nor in reality. Taking something that already exists and converting it into something that nobody has ever seen before or giving it a new life by looking at the object from a different perspective — a talent given to all people by birth, but not an easy one to preserve.
“Therapy” 100x152cm
“27 September” 100×152 cm
“Let`s go” 110×150 cm
“Five hundred and fifty five rubles” 100×150 cm
Series of works “Folded” appeared as a part of artist's research of human nature. He was curious of how people's body can reflect the inner side, what can be said through skin or pose or body tension. The choice of material is crucial — it had to be natural and with its own character.
The works are made with airbrush on plywood, where the artist blends together the features of a figure with the traces of wood. People are shown in uncommon poses, where the viewer cannot see a face, but is left to feel the emotions coming from the figure. Although the figures are not moving there is a specific dynamics created with the posture or background details.
“Back. Folded” 153×110 cm
“Flow” 152×100 cm
Two different women, one concept — energy that moves within and around personality. I am fascinated by the idea of how quickly our reality is changing but staying perfectly beautiful in all of its complex manifestations. A human being as a mirror of these changes, experiences internal transformation, which is seen through voice, eyes or posture. In these works, I wanted to catch this specific moment, lead the viewer to a thought of changes and initiate these changes..
“Playing” 100×152 cm
“Evgenia” 100×152 cm
“Evgenia” 100×152 cm
“Maya”152×100 cm
“Irina”152×100 cm
The model, Irina, is a talented professional dancer, her strong yet delicate figure was an inspiration. This work participated in many collective exhibitions, including one abroad — in Ibiza, Spain. It was also used as a cover image for my personal exhibition in Russia. The local government considered the work too explicit and the artist had to cover up a fragment of it.
“Coworking” 152×100 cm
The painting is symbolic and takes it’s idea from Slavic Folklore in a very modern interpretation. Firebird was a bird kept in a golden cage, which believed to have power to cure any illness. It was a very big luck and a sign of strength to catch it.
The woman depicted in this work has a tattoo of a firebird, her body posture is secluded yet independent and confident. Nudity here is a symbol of her devotion.
Red color shows passion and geometrical form brings the thoughts of stability and something to support her on her way, to help her find a right direction. Although red can be aggressive, here it is about strength, fire, femininity and clarity.
“Firebird” 152×100 cm
“Ksenia” 100×152 cm
“Tension” 100×152 cm
This painting depicts a man in his man power, yet under the pressure created by his role in the modern world. The face is hidden but it is still a portrait in which you can see the character and details of his life. Strong hands, tension in veins, stressed safe position, beauty of the body... The object behind the man dissolves and has no ending. The viewer can guess if the object has any effect on the man and becomes a context in judging over the figure.
“Hidden skin” 100×152 cm
“Diana” 152×100 cm
“The sail” 152×100 cm
“Screenwriter” 100×152 cm
Diptych “Morning” 120×200 cm
Group of works on plywood, which the artist himself amends with plaster, include mythological figures, statues, details of architecture. All of them combine the idea that through posture, angles and dimensions there is a way to send a message to the new generations.
“Hercules” 120×120 cm
“Hercules” 130×150 cm
“David” 120×120 cm
“Neptune” 200×120 cm
“Hercules & Achilles” 120×222 cm
“David” 200×100 cm
“Hypnos” 70×70 cm
The artist sees our mind as a multilayered mechanism, which works quite independently on most levels — whether a person is awake or asleep, active or tired.
Hypnos symbolizes a transition between the state of awareness to the state of uncontrolled flow, which in fact can bring insights and discoveries. The painting depicts Hypnos overlooking somebody, with calmness and confidence. Eager to answer to the subconscious, even the shape of his wing shows his openness to the needs of his ward.
He plays a significant role in this layered mind mechanism, ensuring a smooth move from one layer to another. The figure of Hypnos slowly dissolves as you look at the painting edges, just as your thoughts do when you fall asleep.
“Apollo” 120×200 cm
“Where is David?” 90 cm
The work Mannequin is a collage of dimensions, aesthetic standards, feminine and masculine, mass production and uniqueness. I changed the initial polished texture of the mannequin to statue like surface in order to create a game of new and old, typical and exquisite. The most replicated image, David, is adapting to female shape whilst not loosing its brutality, yet it underlines the feminine lines. The proportions are all far from normal, even the mannequin itself is an unattainable ideal of human body. The viewer is invited to see what he prefers, and changing the view point may result in changing of point of view.
“Venus” 200x50 cm
Series of works “Capital” 110×60 cm
“Capital” 140×60 cm
2021
“13+1”, State Museum of Barnaul “City”, Barnaul, Russia, 2021.
2018
“Body Architecture”, gallery “Private collection”, Novosibirsk, Russia, 2018.
2018
“Point of view” State Museum of Barnaul “City”, Barnaul, Russia, 2018.
2016
“Details”, Art-gallery “Banderole”, Barnaul, Russia, 2016.
