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Marionette 2019 Acrylic on canvas 70 x 63 in

The figures in the compositions are anonymous bodies that have no story aside from the one implied by their immediate surroundings. The work of Edvard Munch and Daniel Richter inspire the electricity of the atmosphere and compromise the integrity of the corporeal form. The figures in my work look as though they are constantly being torn apart and haphazardly stitched back together. I create an otherworldly atmosphere through exaggerated color and jolting movements. Because I’m not personally invested in the figures, I free myself of any need to protect them and I can place them in heated situations.

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Dualism 2020 Acrylic on canvas 70 x 63 in

In this work, I want to show a separation of body and spirit. The dark figure on the left is the vessel that holds the lighter figure on the right. As they are pulled apart, the light follows the spirit as though its head holds the light in a torch-like way. I have omitted much of the information on both figures in the efforts to convey the symbolism of their movements. I am inspired by Matisse and Gideon Appah when painting the energy of the figures and the open color fields.

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Here Comes the Cowboy 2020 Acrylic on canvas 17 x 12 in

With this and the following works, I begin reflecting on the stylistic vehicle of Expressionism as well as social stereotypes. Picabia and Kippenberger influence the paint handling as I set out to create an aura of fast and trashy that is actually beautiful and skilled, and not "bad" at all.

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The Serving Mistress 2020 India ink, colored pencils, markers, and acrylic on paper 8 x 6 feet

This piece was very experimental for me when I made it in the Spring 2020 semester. This figure represents a hybrid, combining elements of conventional "sexiness", science fiction, and symbolism. The style is casual, the horizontal breaks arrange the compositional space and the figure itself. I aim to leave a range of questions that compound to serve as a mirror to the viewer's projections. I aim to continue building on these themes in my future work.

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Romance Rediscovered 2020 Acrylic on canvas 30 x 20 in

In this work, I continue to play with combining Expressionism and sexual stereotypes. With small references to pop-culture in the figures' postures and tattoos, I try to meter badness as renewed goodness. This reflects in the flattening of the skin color of the woman towering over the man and painting the tension in her arm as reflected by the glove.

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Socialite 2020 Acrylic on canvas 30 x 20 in

The figure's hair, face, eyes, blouse, hand and held drink are all different from one another but are, at the same time, loosely connected through fluid paint handling and a limited color structure. The ruined yellows of the background echo themes of oddly alluring decay and decadence reflected in the figure. The constant motion of the background rhymes with the equally active but somehow still whole body of hair, both fright wig and still fitted to the figure's head. The eyes below the bangs concentrate the painting's themes of the eyes belonging and not belonging to the figure. This suggests that the figure could perhaps be a surrogate or host or mask.

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Blessed 2020 Acrylic on canvas 34.8 x 29 in

In this work, I investigate the psychology as well as the movement of energy in the figure and atmosphere. There is an element of the ridiculous, of quiet, of seriousness in this work. I challenge myself to balance contrasting themes.

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Liquid Gold 2020 Colored pencils on paper 18 x 12 in

The magic of ordinary objects and the every day is a major theme of this work. I based this still life on my memories of New Years' celebrations I have had with my family throughout the years in Kazakhstan before immigrating.

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Topple 2020 Colored pencils on paper 18 x 12 in

Following the previous work, this still life is a reflection on other family and friend gatherings I have taken part in as a child growing up in Kazakhstan. Having a table full of fresh and delicious food is a big part of hosting big events. When assembling the composition I thought of all of my memories when I helped my family set up the table in the last few minutes before the guests came. I thought of how the same table would undergo a complete transformation as the night went on - the way the plates would empty, the way the glasses would stand, the way the arrangements of these objects reflect the energy of the room.

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Jonah 2020 Acrylic on canvas 17 x 12 in

My short series of portraits deal with personal experience and the distinct psychology of people. The people I paint, act as mirrors for the viewer. The mood of the painting and the look a figure confronts the viewer with is more a reflection of the viewer rather than the figure itself. Here, I've painted someone with whom I have had a very difficult and unhealthy relationship. The figure is gazing at the viewer with a distinct coldness and apathy.

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Zelly 2020 Acrylic on canvas 17 x 12 in

The gaze of this figure gives sympathy and asks for compassion. The small pupils add a note of the unsettling, the texture suggests there's more to the surface than what a first glance may reveal.

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Kind of Blue 2020 Acrylic on canvas 17 x 12 in

The challenges I took up when painting this have to do with reconciling the beauty of Manet's painting, adding hints of parody as well as sincerity. This portrait makes me think of an odd friend who never allows facial expressions to reveal what's going on in their head.

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Trophy 2020 Acrylic on canvas 16 x 20 in

In this work I experimented with building up texture through the addition of mediums to acrylic paint to achieve a thicker consistency. I refer to this as a trophy painting because classic motifs that have been depicted together throughout history are depicted here.

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Almaty 2020 Acrylic and oil stick on canvas 70 x 63 in

Symbolism is important to me in this painting. In it, I reflect on my early life spent in Kazakhstan, how it has impacted me in my present state here in New York. This is also a memory, one that I recall often, of my dad going out onto the balcony at night to smoke. Only now, I identify with this figure in a mystic cloak, the dark is the unknown, and looking back is a gesture of recollection.

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Storm King 2020 Acrylic on canvas 12 x 24 in

During my first, recent visit to Storm King, I was blown away by the drama of the winter landscape and the three-paneled installation it contained. I wanted to explore the atmosphere of peace and chaos in one through the grass and trees that move with the wind and the wispy clouds that change drastically from one moment to the next.