ALEXANDER NIKOLENKO
artist, art theorist
Since the beginning of his artistic career, from exhibitions in independent art squats in St. Petersburg, 1988, the Russian-European artist Alexander Nikolenko (b.1966, Liepaja, Latvia) devoted it to the study of the phenomenon of communication and fundamental change of perception and consciousness, faced with the world of digital media and the Internet. The graphic and pictorial works adheres to minimalism, utilizing cubofuturism traditions, Russian iconography and avant-garde.
Art director of the VMRM (Virtual World of Russian Museum) project, sensational in the early 2000s in Europe and Asia, dedicated to Virtual Reality reshaping traditional museum space. Independent separate work of art is made using the technology of Virtual Reality and 3D – “Enter the Picture“. In further creative quest he is back to studying of traditional artistic expression methods and humanity’s ancient anthropological legacy, introducing the FUTURUM project to the European public in 2014-15.
Artistic motifs used by Alexander Nikolenko in the series of 1989-2018 artworks and exhibitions represent the author’s mapping of the semanto-symbolic code, reflecting the structure of human archetypical subconsciousness, affected by modern technological revolution. As an established master with over 25 years of experience, Alexander Nikolenko practices a project approach both to art collections and to each new art object – from initial inspiration to frames, designed exclusively by the author. This approach allows to create authentic art, appreciated
by people who aspire to surround themselves with objects of unique quality and value.
Artworks are represented in museums, galleries and private collections in Russia, Holland, Italy, Finland, Norway, France, Latvia, Spain, UK, Germany, Peru and USA.
Official member of St. Petersburg Creative Union of Artists, Russian Creative Union of Artists of Arts and Crafts. With more than 15 group and 10 solo exhibitions for last 5 years, he conducts active exhibition activity in Russia and around the world. Currently working in St. Petersburg, Russia.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Man of the XXI century lives in the hyper information age. To endure the inevitable information overload, Alexander Nikolenko’s artworks encourage the meditative immersion into the rhythm of primary archetypes. As an established master with over 25 years of experience, Alexander practices a project approach both to a series of artworks and to each new canvas separately, allowing to create thoughtful art, appreciated by successful, constantly searching and active people, who aspire to surround themselves with objects of unique quality and value, cleared of everyday life vanity.
The overall narrative is completed with artworks that address the profound archetypes of mass consciousness and form a subtle feeling of existence and constitute an authentic reconstruction of the foundations of the futuristic communication. A bold search for the most qualitative and authentic way of creative expression allowed him to make a fascinating journey from the grandiose Virtual Reality projects to the aesthetic and philosophical depth of the fine art.
Since 1989, Nikolenko’s unique graphical style is well known among Saint Petersburg artists, designers, and art collectors community. For over a 20 years author develops his signature style, utilizing «Écriture automatique» («Automatic writing») method and ornamentalistic motives in his work. To ensure the excellence of such a majestic material as gold, Nikolenko developed the exclusive gold plating technique. This is one of discoveries allowing his artworks to live up to the name of creative, evolving, and intellectual brand.
One of the fist artists and designers who used digital graphics in Russia, Alexander Nikolenko, during many years of practice, came to believe that the technique of traditional “analog” painting and graphics is irreplaceable and unsurpassed, compared with digital simulation.
Professional data
Periodicals and bibliography
Education
1989 MD in Medical studies in LSGMI, Saint Petersburg, Russia
1990 MD, researcher, Human Brain Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia
1995 Postgradute education (The Medical Academy of the postgraduate education) in Medical Psychology, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Selected Bibliography
Print Media
Morten Fredheim Solberg, FUTURUM review, Sandefjord Blad, Sandefjord, Norway, 20th of June 2015
Aurelia Tall, Art Critic, «ГРАNИ», review, Saint Petersburg, November 2013,
Radio/Television
Interview, LTV Latvian TV –Riga, Latvia, April 11, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9-gqpm8nmA&feature=youtu.be
Interview «Alexander Nikolenko’s -Art of the Future», Tatiana Kovalenko, «1» Latvia TV-, Riga. Latvia, April 10, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwjhNFYn8po&feature=youtu.be
Interview, «U-turn», Oleg Peka, Radio Latvia, MixTV, April 7, 2015, http://nikolenco.ru/futurum-v-rige-intervyu-latviyskomu-radio-mix-tv/
Online Periodicals
Vadim Mikhailov, «Beyond the Brink», Saint Petersburg News Online, November 2014, http://spbvedomosti.ru/news/culture/za_granyu_gran/
Art Tube Alexander Nikolenko’s FUTURUM exhibition, January 2015, http://www.arttube.ru/index.php/place/view/12279_2015-01-30-Sankt-Peterbyrg-Vistavka/
Progallery.org, Alexander Nikolenko: «ГРАNИ». Novembr 2014 2.11.2014, http://www.progallery.org/exhibitions/exhibition-past/exhibition/1383_graNi.html
Kudago.com, FUTURUM exhibition project, 07.01.2015, http://kudago.com/spb/event/vystavochnyj-proekt-futurum-v-galeree-artmuza/
Focus.lv, Alexander Nikolenko’s FUTURUM exhibition opening, 07.03.2015, http://ru.focus.lv/kultura/maksla/otkrytie-vystavki-peterburgskogo-hudozhnika-aleksandra-nikolenko-futurum
ArtTube. Group Therapy session, November 2018, https://moscow.arttube.ru/event/seans-gruppovoj-terapii/
Danilovsky Vestnik, “Poligraficheskiy Tsekh” invites to “Group therapy”, November 2018, http://gazeta-danilovsky-vestnik.ru/2018/11/27/47462/
1 national “Golden Age exhibition and positive future forecasting”, November 2018, https://1national.ru/news_smi.php?rubric=view&name=vystavka_zolotoj_vek_i_pozitivnoe_prognozirovanie_buduschego134905
Saint-Petersburg Journalist Union, “Golden Age” Exhibition, October 2018,http://spbsj.ru/anonsy/vystavka-zolotoi-viek
Channel One Russia (from 2:27), October 2018, http://www.1tvspb.ru/event/Obzor_kul_turnih_sobitij_Peterburga_29/
Alexander Nikolenko interview by the head of the excursion bureau of the State Russian Museum, professor at the State Institute of Culture and Arts, Valery Akhunov
Alexander Nikolenko at Festival of Abstraction Arts International 2021
Teachings and related experience
Teaching or related experience
1996 Illustrator and Author of «The World of Internet» magazine
1997 Writer and creator of Comic Lex published in six issues of «The World of Internet» magazine
1999 Head of the Advanced Electronic Technology Dpt. The Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia
2000 Creator and ideologist of the project «Virtual World» for the Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia
2001 Creator and ideologist of the project «Virtual branch of the Russian Museum» for the Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia
2007 Deputy Director of Development and IT, State Museum-Reserve Pavlov’s, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Lectures and workshops
2015 Public lecture «XXI Century art: challenges, possibilities and perspectives», Art Place, LOFT, Saint Petersburg, Russia, May 2015
2014 Workshop, Art Musa, Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 2014
2020 Dialogue of epochs, art talk at “We” exhibition, Saint Petersburg, Russia, December 2020
2022 “Simple about complex”, lecture, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Saint Petersburg Union of Artists,
Summer 2022
2023 “In Search Of Archetypes”, interview, Spring Exhibition, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Saint Petersburg Union of Artists, Spring 2023
Catalogues
“ГРАНИ” exhibition catalogue (2014) – http://nikolenco.com/grani_flipbook
“Futurum” exhibition catalogue (2014-2015) – http://nikolenco.com/futurum_flipbook
“States of being” exhibition catalogue (2016) – http://nikolenco.com/flipbook/
“Golden Age” exhibition catalogue (2018) – http://nikolenco.com/goldenage_flipbook
“NAUTICA” exhibition catalogue (2018) – http://nikolenco.com/nautica
“WE” exhibition catalogue (2020) – http://nikolenco.com/we_catalogue