Sanya Kantarovsky discusses artistic influences and upcoming Venice exhibition in podcast
Sanya Kantarovsky, a Moscow native born in 1982 and now living in New York, creates mesmerizing paintings that blend vivid and surreal imagery. His style incorporates ostranenija, a Russian concept meaning 'making strange,' resulting in figures that morph into plants or animals, often set against dark, unsettling backgrounds. Some of his key works are Basic Failure (2026), Effacement (2016), and As ye sow, so shall ye reap (2020). Kantarovsky draws inspiration from Picasso's Girl on Ball (1905) and historical artists like Goya and Guston, as well as modern creators like Trisha Donnelly. His upcoming exhibition, Sanya Kantarovsky: Basic Failure, will take place at the Istituto Veneto in Venice from May 6 to November 22.
Key facts
- Sanya Kantarovsky was born in Moscow in 1982 and emigrated to New York at age ten.
- He uses the Russian term ostranenija, meaning 'making strange,' as a guiding principle in his art.
- His paintings feature figurative elements that morph into plant or animal forms in atmospheric settings.
- Influences include Picasso's Girl on Ball (1905) and artists like Goya, de Chirico, and Guston.
- He cites contemporary artists Trisha Donnelly and Charline von Heyl as influences.
- Other influences include poet Anna Akhmatova, choreographer Tatsumi Hijikata, and filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky.
- An exhibition, Sanya Kantarovsky: Basic Failure, runs from 6 May to 22 November at Palazzo Loredan in Venice.
- The podcast is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, which features guides to museums where Kantarovsky has exhibited.
Entities
Artists
- Sanya Kantarovsky
- Pablo Picasso
- Francisco de Goya
- Giorgio de Chirico
- Philip Guston
- Trisha Donnelly
- Charline von Heyl
- Anna Akhmatova
- Tatsumi Hijikata
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Ceija Stojka
- Lynne Cooke
Institutions
- Pushkin Museum
- Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
- Bloomberg Connects
- ICA/Boston
- Aspen Art Museum
- The Drawing Center
- Capitain Petzel
- Modern Art
- VeneKlasen
Locations
- Moscow
- Russia
- New York City
- United States
- Venice
- Italy
- Boston
- Aspen
- Vienna
- Austria