Consumerism and the cult of celebrity are explored with energy, colour and a wicked sense of humour in Sergey Bondarev’s bright paintings and mixed-media works. Using a garish palette and cartoonish forms, the artist satirises on self-obsession and banality in a chaotic world.
Currently based in Milan, Italy, Bondarev was born in Yekaterinburg, where he studied Graphic Art at the city’s Shadr Art College. He continued his studies in Monumental Art at Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts and worked in fashion and design before hosting his first solo exhibition at the Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg in 2014.
Expressionist energy blends with pop-art irreverence in Bondarev’s work, which often centres on the human form. Shoes, gloves, jewellery and cigarettes are recurring motifs, while exaggerated gestures are accentuated using thick brushstrokes and bold tones. “It’s a tale about consumption and globalisation,” says the artist, who sees his work as a prompt for viewers to observe the intimate spaces behind each character’s projected image.
Bondarev has exhibited in Moscow and St. Petersburg and was awarded the Artist of the Year Award by Sobaka Magazine in 2015 (Top 50 Most Famous People from St. Petersburg). His artwork — which encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, video and collage — is held by numerous private collections in Russia, Qatar, China, Europe and the USA.
