August 20, 2020 on the third floor of the main building of the Voronezh Regional Art Museum named after I.N. Kramskoy will open an exhibition of graphic works by artist Denis Bulavintsev “Bear Alphabet”.

“Bear’s Alphabet” is a kind of old-fashioned unprecedented, ironic, ridiculous and funny. The series showcases enduring myths about Russian life. Rather, this is the case with persistent myths about the myths of Russian life. More precisely, a stamp about a stamp is being played up, what the enlightened Western foreigners think about us. That we have snowfall all year round, bears in earflaps wander along the roads and there are only balalaikas around. The satirical effect is deliberately sharpened in the expectation of the emotional reaction of the viewer, who will laugh and cry, get angry and think.

The exhibition presents over 60 works made in the technique of linocut. The author of the works is the Voronezh graphic artist Denis Bulavintsev.

The series was executed in 2018–2020 and is part of the large graphic cycle “Bear’s Corner”. Having started as a joke, “spreading cranberries”, the series became larger, with further elaboration new facets were opened, the invented world took on a life of its own and acquired additional meanings by itself. Each sheet is an independent story, connected with other works in this series by a common theme and cross-cutting characters, first of all, the main character – a bear, which is extremely human. It is the collisions in which the bear finds itself that become the plot and figurative content of the series.

The artist uses the folklore tradition at the level of images-characters, at the level of the plot and at the level of stylistics, reminiscent of “folk pictures” – splint. This relationship is an absolutely necessary part of both the author’s artistic thinking and the audience’s perception.

“Icarus” – the central work of the series, its “key”, tuning fork, result and conclusion – translates what was seen earlier in another register, allowing you to seriously talk about what the drop cap was making fun of. The romantic feeling of flight reveals the land seen from above, but seen in amazing detail. At the same time, it is a look from the earth to the very heavens.

The author insists that the content of the works is completely fictional and has nothing to do with reality.

Reference: Denis Bulavintsev is an artist, graphic artist. Graduated from the Voronezh Art School, studied under the famous graphic artist, Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Presnyakov. In 2011 he became the winner of the regional creative competition “Cultpokhod”. Voronezh hosted two personal exhibitions of the artist – “Chernozem” in 2012 and “Black on White” at the Museum. I.N. Kramskoy in 2015. In 2016, Denis Bulavintsev, together with the poet Lena Dudukina, published a “walk-through” in Voronezh “Between Heaven and Asphalt”. It contains the artist’s linocut and poems about the city of Elena Dudukina. In 2016, Between Heaven and Asphalt became a bestseller at the Petrovsky Book Club.

Visit cost:

Full ticket – 100 rubles.
Discount ticket (pupils, students, pensioners) – 50 rubles.
Members of the Union of Artists (upon presentation of a certificate) – free of charge.
Photography: mobile devices, camera (without flash) – free of charge.

You can visit the exhibition at certain times of the sessions:

Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday – from 10:00 to 11:00;
from 12:00 to 13:00;
from 14:00 to 15:00,
from 16:00 to 17:00
Thursday: 12:00 to 13:00
from 14:00 to 15:00
from 16:00 to 17:00
from 18:00 to 19:00.
Monday, Tuesday – days off.

Museum premises are disinfected between sessions!

Entrance to the hall – no more than 10 people at a time.

A mask is required!

The exhibition will run until September 27, 2020.