The Table of Life Painting

Citizen of New Zealand & Australia. Commissions welcomed. Born in the USSR, Volykhine and his family have traversed the globe, exhibiting and residing in various countries, from New York to Estonia. Since settling in New Zealand in 2009, he has showcased his art in solo and group exhibitions around the world. His works grace numerous private, public, and corporate collections. A general sense of situations yet unexplored pervades each painting. Multiple panels featuring disparate images, colours, and stylistic flourishes, Ilya Volykhine’s paintings reverberate with a distinct aura that transcends narrative description. Despite a leitmotif of symbolic elements, storylines are intentionally slippery. “For me surprise is a necessity when making art. I welcome unforeseen accidents that transcend my imagination, and let myself go with the flow. Mistakes are also very welcome. Failure breeds success. In these works (and all the other ones too), I just painted the things I wanted to paint – my everyday feelings and thoughts. The people, places and things, I’ve seen or even imagined. These are the only things I keep in mind when I do my works. “ His works both suggest and withhold a sense of resolution, unearthing a near-universal human tendency to search for and project narratives. The artist’s staged compositions, his 'mini stories' pull viewers into the suggestion of a storyline, only to drive them into the chaos of abstraction. Even as the eye revels in the rich detail of each point and counterpoint, he deftly refocuses attention on the composition.  This dynamic lyricism—created by elements that are always more than the sum of their parts—has long been the hallmark of Volykhine’s singular career as a painter. Recent recognition includes being a finalist in the 2023 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award and in multiple editions of the Walker & Hall Art Awards, where he secured a win for his figurative art. Additionally, he was a finalist in the 2016 Adam Portraiture Award. Internationally, his works have been featured in esteemed exhibitions such as the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Blake Prize for Religious Art, and the Jacaranda Drawing Prize in Australia. He also contributed to the Bennetton family's Imago Mundi New Zealand Kiwi Consciousness Collection in Italy.