Dmitriyev, Alexey

 Alexey Dmitriyev bio

Hailing from Lvov in Ukraine, Dmitriyev’s studies of fine art and artistic search first took him to Ukraine’s capital Kiev before he settled in the nation’s capital- Moscow. There he studied, taught, and continued his work in murals, illustrations and painting for over 20 years before moving to Sydney in the early 1990s. His mighty palette craved unexplored territories, to see the land of the pioneers.

His individualist work is philosophical. At times there is a touch of sadness about it, at others the feelings of flight, freedom of hope and spontaneous optimism are almost tangible from his pieces.

The visions and reminiscences portrayed in his work seem to be woven from the air reflecting the lyric idea of life as an illusion. His vibrant colour compositions are at once radiant, rough and refined.

For Alexey it’s of outmost importance to love or have an interest in his subject matter, if that is missing the painting will not eventuate. “My mission as an artist is to search for the most truthful form of representing my vision, that search is my life,” he says.

Artists Chagall and Cezanne both resonate with him. “The former is someone my soul understands, while in the latter it finds comfort.” This exhibition is in part a tribute to Chagall. “He is one of my beloved painters. He came from Russia and he painted in the beginning of last century. As an artist his work was on the pulse of his time and he felt deeply the changes Europe experienced at the time.”

A classically trained artist Dmitriyev can express himself in numerous styles spanning centuries. “I like to experiment and play with form. I am intrigued by the ever changing nature of art and tastes.”

An artist doesn’t belong to a time in which he lives, he can be in the past yet his works can be ahead of their time reflecting the future, which often leads to being misunderstood, but Alexey Dmitriyev is not concerned about this. He admires Tarkovsky’s way of looking at the creative process.

“Similarly to the great director, I want to let go of the fear of making mistakes and use the mistakes I am bound to make, to create unique works. I am always looking for new approaches to express myself.”

“To work is to live is to create, it’s a luxury to procrastinate in my line of work,” Alexey Dmitriyev