Silver Dust is a monographic show featuring Paris-based multifaceted artist Nikolay Koshelev's unique painterly vocabulary. The exhibition provides an introduction to his artistic practice and offers a comprehensive glimpse into his creative process by highlighting his bold experimentation with color, materials, and forms. His works exude vibrant energy and experimental approaches fused with romantic allure.
Nikolay pays homage to the literary works of Walt Whitman and William Burroughs, with a particular focus on the latter's novel “Naked Lunch” known for its fragmented and non-linear narrative structure. Inspired by Burroughs’ approach to storytelling, Koshelev invites the audience to experience this exhibition as a total work of art, encouraging exploration and interpretation from multiple perspectives. Populated with surreal and fantastical creatures, the works emit a disorienting and enigmatic atmosphere of an alien planet.
Nikolay Koshelev (b. 1987) is an accomplished visual artist adept in various mediums – painting, sculpture, graphics, ceramics, large-scale installations, digital art, and theater design. During his formative years, he skilfully combined a rigorous formal art education with a submergence in graffiti culture. Notably, several of his initial graffiti works continue to embellish railcars in motion to this day. Koshelev’s present style is influenced by the elaborate worlds of game design and post-Internet aesthetics as he uses painting, ceramics, and large-scale theatrical installations to generate imaginary worlds and populate them with avatars.
Koshelev hails from a family with deep artistic roots: his father Leonid Koshelev is an esteemed Ukrainian artist, and his mother Maya Kosheleva is a glass artist from Belarus. Recognising Nikolay's potential from a young age, his parents fostered his artistic development by enrolling him in the Moscow Academic Art Lyceum at the Surikov Art Academy. Nikolay continued with MA studies in Monumental Decorative Painting from the Moscow Stroganov State Academy followed by an MA degree from the New York Academy of Art, where he studied under renowned instructors such as Eric Fischl, Margaret Bowland, and Jean-Pierre Roy. Demonstrating his exceptional talent and dedication, Koshelev was honored with multiple scholarships, including the prestigious Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship in Painting and Sculpture. Recognising Nikolay's potential from a young age, his parents fostered his artistic development by enrolling him in the Moscow Academic Art Lyceum at the Surikov Art Academy.
Dividing his time between Brooklyn, NY, and Paris, France, Nikolay is exhibiting internationally. Notable exhibitions include The Moon Pool. Archive at the State Tretyakov Gallery (2020) and The Moon Pool. Paris Period at Atelier 11 in Paris (2021) and group shows at Leo Kuelbs Collection in New York (2018), S1 Residency in Beirut (2019), Marie Von Papen Gallery in London, Copenhagen, Berlin, and New York (2016-2018), and participation in charity auctions at Phillips Auction House and Sotheby’s in New York.
His artistic creations are in the collections of Van Cleef & Arpels, Len Blavatnik, the New York Academy of Art, the Riga Museum of Contemporary Art (Zuzeum), and private collections in France, Switzerland, Germany, USA, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
Ta(r)dino 6 is a registered non-profit, non-government organization in Azerbaijan.
Fri / Sat / Sun 12-5 pm (and by appointment)