Andrii Volkov is an Ukrainian artist. He is like a journalist of the simple beauty around us - he observes the world, deciphers it and gives a fluent account of what he has witnessed. Something as common as an aged sheet can be stretched onto a canvas and created into a piece of art, that evokes a range of emotions, based on the viewer’s own experiences and associations with what we are looking at. Volkov’s use of alternative materials like household dyes, sand, earth, soot and fire when painting, offers refuge and comfort to the onlooker, as these are tools that are relatable. The playful use of the ordinary with the contemporary is also present in Andrii Volkov’s tattoos: modern equipment is used to create a permanent impression of the impermanent marks that have been captured from the natural world of the urban environment. The artist moves leisurely along the streets of cities such as Amsterdam or Bucharest, surveying walls of buildings for any interesting scratches or the sidewalks for peculiar cracks. He’ll find something, stop, immerse in it completely, document it, deliver a translation of it to his viewer. This ability to find the ‘ordinary’ and have it be seen as extraordinary is truly inspiring. - Lee Stewart
