Igor Kalinauskas

Igor Kalinauskas
Born	Igor Nikolayevich Nikolayev (1945-02-07) February 7, 1945 Novgorod, USSR
Education	Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute
Known for	painting, music
Notable work	The series Wandering Stars (2005)[1] The Impression of the "Last Supper": Spirit, Flesh, Blood (2005)[2]
Movement	Visionary art, Tondo
Website	igor-kalinauskas.com

Igor Kalinauskas (Russian: Калинаускас Игорь Николаевич, Lithuanian: Igoris Kalinauskas,^[3] born Igor Nikolayevich Nikolayev, February 7, 1945) — is a Russian artist, theater director, singer, member of the vocal duo "Zikr".

Early life and education

Igor Kalinauskas was born on February 7, 1945 in Novgorod, Russian Federation, former Soviet Union. Since childhood, he has been interested in visual art, painted watercolors and one of his works even was exhibited at the city art exhibition.^[4] However, he became an artist only in 1996. In 1970 he graduated from Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute (Moscow) and became a theater director.

Theater director

In 1970–1984 years he has staged 68 productions at many drama theatres in the former USSR. He worked as stage-director in Astrakhan, Ordjonikidze, Minsk, Vilnius etc.^[5] The most significant plays directed by Igor Kalinauskas (Nikolaev) in Russian Drama Theatre of Lithuania are: I. Fridberg's "Arena", "Yurodiya" based upon the novel "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Alexander Ostrovsky’s "Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man", Grigori Gorin's "Phenomena".

Psychologist

In times of his theater directing activities, he became interested in psychology and spirituality. "I dealt with psychology and philosophy of the subject. There wasn't more prohibited topic in the Soviet Union both in art and science" - says Igor.^[6] And his theater activities have banned.

Since 1985 Igor Kalinauskas works as psychologist at the Institute of physical culture. His system of training was used by the highest ranked sportsmen, including the World-champion in broad-jump Rudolf Povarnitsyn. Since 1986 he works as psychologist at Kiev Institute of Medical Radiology with the people, who have been liquidating the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion.^[7]

In the post-soviet era, he became the author of some popular psychology books: Alone with the World (eight editions published since 1991 to 2009, in Russian, Slovak, Czech, Lithuanian, English), Art of living (1994, in Russian, Slovak, Czech, Lithuanian, English), Spiritual fellowship (1996, in Russian, Slovak, Lithuanian), Sitting well (1997) and others.^[6]

Singer

In 1993 Igor Kalinauskas and Olga Tkachenko created vocal duo Zikr. "The duo use the ancient techniques of throat vibration and circular breathing to achieve their deeply soulful improvisations, often with a choir".^[8] They have traveled all over the world and recorded 20 albums. Video clip with Igor and Olga The Road to Katmandu under the direction of Fyodor Bondarchuk won the main prize for the best direction in the 6th Moscow festival of music clips "Generation–98".^[9] As a musician and a singer Igor Kalinauskas is known under the stage name Silin. He took this last name in her mother’s honor. That’s her maiden name.^[4]

Artist

In 1996 Igor discovered an interest for painting again, as in childhood. His first experience of the picture – is a three-meter wide picture "The Bawl" (1997). Now he has several workshops in Moscow, Kiev, Bratislava, on a farm "Paakmenio" near Tauragnai^[10] (South-eastern Lithuania). His works are represented in more than 25 exhibitions in galleries in Ukraine, Russia, USA, Lithuania, Slovakia and other countries, are in private collections in many countries. As an artist, he is known under the pseudonym INK.

Art critic Konstantin Doroshenko defines the genre, which employs Igor Kalinauskas as Visionary art.^[11]

Art historian and cultural philosopher Algis Uždavinys observed, "Some pictures of I. Kalinauskas are full of childish naiveté close to the so-called Western Primitivism painting of the XX century. But at the same time the artist is searching for a deeper philosophical meaning… his pictures can be regarded as the special means for meditation, or incitements to search for the secret doctrine concealed behind the primitive surface."^[12]

His works can be relatively divided into 3 groups: portraits, landscapes and abstract paintings. He created more than 400 portraits, among them The Master Admiring the Cup (1998), Portrait of Arkadij (1999), portrait of a woman The Enlighted (2000), self-portrait Light Shaped Me out of Darkness (2000), Barbara’s portrait (2010). "Kalinauskas describes man not just as Aristotle’s "political animals"… but as a creature rising far above the horizontal stratum of existence, a medium, a contemplator".^[4]

His landscape works are a kind of bridge between his portraits and abstractions. Harmony and the quest for it is the tenor of such works. Among them - The Turčianske Valley (2000), Eastern morning (2001), Lone traveller (2002). Nevertheless, "if most landscapes by the artist denote the insight into potentiality of another world with greater harmony, then his series of abstractions indicates an attempt to discover some "clips" of existence… They indicate the regular quest for the artistic and ontological "initial elements" able to recover man fallen out of the initial overwhelming unity of the world".^[4]

The series "Wandering Stars"

The series Wandering Stars^[1] was created in 2005 and exhibited in different countries.^[13][14][15] Stars in his pictures likened people: a man, like a star, generates the whole world.

""Star differs from star in glory" the Apostle said. But for the epithet "wandering" and the colour diversity of the canvases, we might say that these are "portraits" of angel stars shown through the same symbols of the colour and whirlpool. But actually these are portraits of humans, to be more precise – the portraits of their souls, wombs and hearts" – says Alisa Lozhkina, editor-in-chief Art Ukraine.^[4]

About four large paintings "The City - New York" from the series "The Wondering Stars" an artist and art historian Christina Katrakis, MFA, says, "One may argue, that the height of the contemporary "tondo movement" took place in early sixties and seventies, with works by such artists as Wojciech Fangor and his non-tantric disc-like paintings. This theme was later continued in a series of works by Lea Lenhart.^[16] While some artists such as Robert Schaberl, Hans Herbert Hartwieg, also Gary Lang^[17] and Tracy Melton^[18] still continue to work in the Tondo movement today. Yet I do not see Igor Kalinauskas' work as the remains of the 60s and 70s movement… On contrary, I see it as a totally new wave of Tondo, which underwent the renaissance of its own principal ideals and is now a thriving, totally new, post-modern form of expression".^[19]

Nicholas Bergman, co-director at Caelum Gallery (New York): "The artist’s motif is the circle, and he delves not only into its geometric properties but also its symbolic impact. The circles can be warm and inviting, as they conjure female qualities like the womb and the breast, or they can be awesome as they evoke eclipses of the moon or the sun and other cosmic events. The viewer is presented with fascinating ambiguities such as the element of scale. Circles might allude to the microscopic world or to the macrocosmic, and they might occupy positive or negative space. The works are rich in colour and vibrant with brushwork."^[20]

The Last Supper: Spirit, Flesh, Blood

Redefining of the famous "Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci - is distinctive theme of Igor Kalinauskas art. Above this artist works for many years. The first exhibition devoted masterpiece was presented in 2006 at the Leonardo da Vinci National Science & Technology Museum (Milan, Italy).^[21][22][23]

There were another exhibitions of Igor Kalinauskas impression from Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, such as "INK The Last Supper: Spirit, Flesh, Blood" (Bratislava, Slovakia, 2011).^[24]

However, the most complete realization of his vision of a famous painting was presented in Kiev gallery "Lavra" (Ukraine) in philosophical large-scale art project "2000 years have passed. Faces faded, but the light remained" (polyptych-installation, reminiscence).^[25] In this installation the series of canvas represent the faces of apostles and Christ at the moment of biblical scene of The Last Supper.

The series of canvas are only a part of this installation. There were a pictorial polyptych altar and pillars in the shape of angels that protected the improvised nave. There was a big white table to "bring closer" the biblical scene. In addition, in background you will be able to hear the music of vocal duo Zikr. "In the beginning of last century Wagner started to elaborate the theory of the unity of arts. And from that time on, many artists have tried to accomplish perfection, universal art that could combine all the arts... Today I was present at this amazing synthetic act, where Igor Kalinauskas, as a stage director, a musician and an artist, united all types of art: music, painting, directing, sculpture, performance and a book." - says Alla Revenko, art historian, professor at Kiev State Art Institute, author of course Synthesis of the arts.

Ultra Violet Light

Ultra Violet Light — is a joined art project of Igor Kalinauskas and a French-American artist Isabelle Collin Dufresne (Ultra Violet), the muse of Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol, the star of Pablo Picasso’s play. Ultra Violet Light project includes "the series of works related to the aspect of light itself, such as Kalinauskas’ burning spheres of light in "wondering stars" and "cosmic embryos", and Ultra Violet’s neon light works and 9/11 sculptures. At the core of this creative collaboration is the concept not only of the "light" as the vital element, but the vision of light, as it is perceived by a woman artist versus a man artist. Two visions form the ideal Ing and Yang duo".^[26][27]

Ultraviolet Light was presented on February 2014 in Depardieu Gallery^[28] (Nice, France) and on September 2014 in RAR Gallery^[29] (Berlin, Germany) (curator Christina Katrakis, USA).^[30]

List of personal exhibitions

• 2014 September – Berlin, Germany. RAR Gallery. Part of Art Berlin Art Fair Project «The Last Supper» installation.^[29]
• 2014 September – Berlin, Germany. RAR Gallery. Part of Art Berlin Art Fair Project «Ultraviolet Light».^[29][26]
• 2014 February – Nice, France. Depardieu Gallery. «Ultraviolet Light» - art in making - live art & film project.^[31]
• 2014 January - New York, USA. Caelum Galley, Chelea.^[15] "The City - New York".
• 2013 September–October - Lviv, Ukraine. Gary Bowman Gallery,^[32] British Club, "The Sacred - Wandering Stars II".
• 2012 June–July - Kyiv, Ukraine. "Eternal Light" the exhibit of "The Last Supper" installation. Lavra Gallery.^[11]
• 2012 January - London, UK. "Rebirth: dreams and Memories" installation, for Bond Magazine,^[8] Saatchi Gallery.
• 2011, May – Moscow, Russia. Elena Vrublenskaya gallery.^[33] The exhibition "Magician Chamber".^[34]
• 2010, August – Zurich, Switzerland. The exhibition "Wandering Stars".^[14]
• 2008, September – Vilnius, Lithuania. Gallery "Actus magnus".^[35] The exhibition "Abstract erotica. Series "Breast".
• 2006, June - Paris, France . Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière. The exhibition "Genese: Paroles de la Creation".^[36]
• 2006, March – Milan, Italy. Leonardo da Vinci National Science & Technology Museum. The Last Supper: Spirit, Flesh, Blood.^[21][22][23]
• 2004, December – Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Joseph Brodsky Museum.^[37] Mystery of Time (The Magician's Office).
• 2003, January - Vilnius, Lithuania. Stiklo karoliukai Gallery.^[38] Mystery of Loneliness.
• 1998, August - Kaunas, Lithuania. House of Perkunas.
• 1998, June - Saint Petersburg, Russia. Free Russian Contemporary Art Fund.

References