Artist Paints Life In Russia With A Drop Of Irony

From a fierce-looking ticket controller to a fashion diva spotted on a subway train – these images are common for any Russian. And even though these images might seem like rather grotesque portrayals, that’s not the case for the author himself.

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“Every illustration shows a situation that I’ve been a witness to,” says Mikhail Vachayev, a 31-year old artist from Yekaterinburg. “I just try to convey my vision with a bit of irony and satire, but try to avoid any kind of moral assessment. I don’t think they’re grotesque, per se, because I do my best to portray the situation as close to what I saw in real life.”

The artist admits he’s been into art for the most part of his adult life and has experimented with various techniques, genres, and topics.

“I consider realism to be the best tool for expressing my ideas and thoughts… I don’t have any specific goals in my work. I just like to explore, observe, think and talk about life and feelings, and seek some kind of truth,” he explains.

His series of social satire works began one and a half years ago and, as Mikhail says, each has its own story.

“What I want to do with each picture is to show our daily, routine life and convey an idea that maybe through self-irony and an ability to look at yourself from the outside one can possibly change something,” he says.

The series is still a work in progress and the author has plans to release more paintings in the future, as there are many ideas reality throws at you that are still waiting to be realized.