Alexander Khomsky

 

Artist’s Statement

Since there are cultural expressions, artists search for symbols. When words are insufficient, pictures start. Khomski works in this tradition. His paintings explore relationships between consumerism and mass production, fresh food and fast food, pop art and religion.

In the latest works, symbols are made of food. Intriguing, surprising and in a way, logical. The man became man thanks to Eve’s apple. The orb is the apple of power. Food and vegetables in particular stand for fertility and vitality. The Horn of Plenty is filled with fruit, the grape bunch is the symbol for the Last Supper.

Maybe Khomski prepares a last supper for each religion. Or, perhaps it is an expression of irony. Or the everlasting circle of life. Or a message to everyone which says: enjoy healthy symbols but don’t die for a cross or a half moon; but eat them and celebrate the life. Don’t idolize the Material Values. Be careful changing the Nature. Don’t make a Golden Calf out of Your House, Car or Food. Consume them, don’t worship them. As The famous Czech author Yaroslav Gashek said: “People, be vigilant!” Khomski studied the old masters profoundly. He translates their ideas to images of the 21st century in which the observer defines the spiritual content of symbols

Biography

Born in Moscow, Alexander Khomsky started to paint at an early age, first taking art classes where he painted mostly from nature in watercolor, and later studying under the most famous art professors in the capital city. He is a graduate of Russia’s world-renowned Stroganoff Institute of Decorative and Applied Arts (Moscow) from which he received a MFA.

After the completion of his formal training, Alex worked as an Interior Designer and Mural Artist for decorative art shops of the Russian Federation Art Fund, continuing to master his technique. He developed an interest in modern contemporary art and was accepted in the prestigious Union of Graphic Artists, an alternative organization which supported new art, as well as vanguard and underground artists, whose work was more difficult to promote during communist-era Russia. Through the Union Alex had the opportunity to show his work in the West at shows sponsored by a variety of art institutions and galleries in Moscow and around Europe.

In 1989 his work was included in a very important show of Russian avant-garde artists in Bonn, Germany called Bonn-Moscow: Russian Vanguard Art. The work shown represented the most important Russian vanguard artists, including Krasnopevtsev, Zverev and Nemuhin. The show, organized in conjunction with the first visit of Russian President Mikhael Gorbachev to Germany, was widely acclaimed in the German press and attended by top German officials including Chancellor Helmut Kholl.

It was at this point that Alex’s career as an international artist took off. The following year he was presented with his first solo show at the Gallery Doll in Kotzting, Germany. At that time, he also started to be represented by the International Gallery Reich in Cologne, Germany.

Seeking more artistic freedom, Alex moved to the US in the 1990’s. He currently resides in Arlington, MA.

Alex’s work has been exhibited in over 60 solo and group shows in the US, Canada and Europe, including the Mixed Media Gallery in New York and the InterArt Gallery Reigh in Cologne, Germany.

Several of Alex’s paintings were included in the San Francisco show at the One Bush Street Gallery Identities Lost and Found: Russian Jewish Artists from the 1920’s – 1990’s hanging alongside that of Marc Chagall, Komar and Melamid among others, as well as the show Glasnost under Glass, a traveling exhibition of important Russian art sponsored by Ohio State University.

He has gained respect and a solid reputation internationally, particularly within avant-garde circles. Khomsky and his art have been reviewed in a variety of US and European publications: LA Times, Fine Art Magazine, Art Business News, Art & Frame Review, and about 20 others.

Alex’s paintings can be found in many important collections, both private and corporate, and museums around the world such as those of the Zimmerli Museum of Art in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Tretykov Gallery in Russia (included in collection in 2007); Fidelity Investments Corporation in Boston, MA; Mr. Holl, former Swiss Ambassador to Germany, who bought three paintings and became a collector of Alex’s work; Igor Prokofiev, son of the famous Russian composer; Dr. Gautam Allahbadia prominent Indian collector.

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