Dmitrii Filimonov

My main inspiration in art is colour and plasticity. I have chosen painting (canvas, acrylic, oil) as the primary medium for my work. It is the best way to show my love for colour and enjoy the process of creating. I also work with ceramics, its plasticity and volume and am creating a series of magi...

My main inspiration in art is colour and plasticity. I have chosen painting (canvas, acrylic, oil) as the primary medium for my work. It is the best way to show my love for colour and enjoy the process of creating. I also work with ceramics, its plasticity and volume and am creating a series of magical animals. When working on paintings, I refuse to use preparatory sketches, as finding a composition in scale is very important to me. The colour palette of my works is often inspired by the colour relationships I see in the real world.
In my art practice, I reflect by creating a parallel reality, inhabiting it with images and guides. I represent people with complex destinies, wearing masks and colourful costumes, escaping from their identity and feeling unsafe in the real world. At first glance, this world is filled with joy and happiness due to the bright colours and patterns. But when we pay attention to faces, we rarely see the emotion of joy. I create a colourful and magical parallel reality, yet I can not give up my negative feelings and thoughts. In my works, I often abandon human attributes by removing gender characteristics and profusely refusing naturalism: I simplify parts of the face and turn the hero into a symbol. My works are inhabited by anthropomorphic beings who are extremely sensitive and highly vulnerable. Often, the heroes of my paintings are naked; for me, it is a way of showing vulnerability. They are overflowing with emotions yet unable to express their feelings. Birds and octopuses guide us into this world. They are an essential part of this pictorial universe, symbolising freedom of spirit and providing emotional support.
Duality is an essential part of my works: it's expressed by the guides' presence in the paintings or through diptychs. It is an interplay between the obvious and the hidden, the expressive and the introversive, the mask and the reality. Through my works, I offer the viewer the opportunity to draw a parallel between these magical worlds and their interior one and act as a guide on their introspective journey.