Anton Gudim’s “YES, BUT”: Instagram Satire of Everyday Contradictions
Anton Gudim, an illustrator from Moscow, is recognized for his “YES, BUT” Instagram account, which boasts 1.9 million followers. Through minimal text and paired situations, he exposes the hypocrisies of everyday life. His flat-color, stylized artwork often invites a second glance. After a decade as a senior technical engineer, Gudim transitioned to art about thirteen years ago, starting on VKontakte before shifting to Instagram. He exhibited his work offline at the MARS Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow from December 1 to 30, 2018. His 200-page color book, Yes, But, was published by The Mansion Press. From December 13, 2025, to January 25, 2026, SАБСТАНЦИЯ will host ГУДИМ дома at Cube.Moscow. Gudim has released eight books and organized solo exhibitions, navigating social media's challenges.
Key facts
- Anton Gudim was born and raised in Moscow and has a technical and computer-science background.
- His “YES, BUT” Instagram account has 1.9 million followers.
- The series pairs two situations with minimal text, using “yes, but” to sabotage an apparent logic.
- Some of Gudim’s illustrations have gone viral, shared by public figures including Elon Musk.
- Before becoming a full-time artist, Gudim worked about ten years as a senior technical engineer.
- He began as an online artist roughly thirteen years ago, first on VKontakte.
- His solo exhibition Gudim. Offline was held at the MARS Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow from December 1 to 30, 2018.
- The book Yes, But, published by The Mansion Press, has 200 color pages.
- Gudim has published about eight books distributed in Europe, the United States and China.
- The exhibition ГУДИМ дома (Gudim at home), curated by Sabina Chagina, ran at Cube.Moscow from December 13, 2025 to January 25, 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Anton Gudim
- Sabina Chagina
- Elon Musk
Institutions
- VKontakte
- MARS Center for Contemporary Art
- The Mansion Press
- SАБСТАНЦИЯ
- Cube.Moscow
- Artribune
Locations
- Moscow
- Russia
- China
- United States
- Europe