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VAN (Victor Norkin)

«Catcher of jet beetles or Fire inside me

Painting

7 may – 2 june 2012

FIRE INSIDE HIM

Imagine some space divided with an unseen line. On one side we ordinary people live. We sleep, eat, go to work. At the other side lives VAN. He is also human. He also eats, sleeps, and works. In appearance, he is the same as the rest of us. What is the difference? The difference is that he is able to cross the line and stay with us, while we have no capability to enter his space called «the art of VAN.” And it seems that no one is prohibiting entry. And the line itself is transparent; you can’t even feel where it is, but yet you can’t cross it. We visit exhibitions and look into this world full of secrets and questions through canvases/windows which the artist opens for us. As the years pass, the canvases grow in size. On the one hand, it may please us; on the other, it may easily perplex us: the more you see, the more questions you have.

The artist is hardly puzzled with such a situation. He does not notice either the situation or the apparent borderline. He seems to think that anything which is clear to him is understandable and obvious to everyone around him.

To the best of his ability, he answers the many questions that arise, though by nature he is not terribly conversational.

Shy, quiet, as if feeling somewhat guilty for something, and always barefoot—that is VAN as we have known him for many years, both in his pictures and in life, whose image we have grown accustomed to, and whom we have loved…

But still waters run deep, you know… What if he is saving his strength? What if his quietness is just the calm before the storm? He will tear off a seal of dumbness from his lips, and look, like sparks of volcanic fire, vague whispers going first, and then, words and cries that were kept inside for years will run in streams of glowing lava.

With no fear of behaving like a madman, even at the expense of his past image, he will spit forth fire as if it were water, at the risk of burning out everything around him. Not out of spite, but out of despair and desolation. The habit of being lonely moves him. And seeing that he, VAN, is the only warrior on the battlefield, he does not ask for help. He will create that help on his own by cloning himself. Drenched with fire, the soil will let the flaming seedlings sprout. There will be an army behind VAN. There will be a fight. And VAN shall overcome.

And being overcome by himself, he will begin again from the ground up.

VICTOR NORKIN
(Art-name - VAN)

1964 – was born in town of Penza, Russia
Finished Children Art School #1
1984 – graduated from Theatrical Department of Penza Art College
Around o year he worked as artist of scene in Regional Drama Theater
Painter, teacher in the Children Art School #1
2001 – member of Artists Art Union of Russia and International Federation of Artists

My pictures – are some events, which took place with me, or impressions. For example, a snow is fallen – it is crunches under steps, and I wonder, how to paint it – as crunching. Actually, I paint about myself. Since I know myself better then others. Seldom, but sometimes things, which I paint, come true.

Victor Norkin

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1987 children-youth library of Penza, Russia
1990 «Dance under moon, Gallery on Novo-Posadskaya Street, town of Penza, Russia
1994 «Without reasons…, exhibition hall of town of Sergiev Posad, Russia
1996 «Or I looked through the window for a long time, Gallery on Novo-Posadskaya Street, town of Penza, Russia
2001 «Meander Gallery, town of Tolyatty, Russia
2001 Museum-salon of classic culture, town of Zarechny, Penza Region
2008 «There are plenty of riddles around and stranger’s eyes”, «S.P.A.S.” Gallery, Saint-Petersburg
2010 «My shoulder-straps are of snow”, «S.P.A.S.” Gallery, Saint-Petersburg
2010 "Believe in bizarre movements…", Penza State Art Gallery named after K.A.Savitskogy, Exhibition Hall Construction College Penza, Penza
2010 "There is no joy without you," gallery "GRUSIGNAC", Berlin, Germany
2011 "Today is a warm winter, probably wants to feel sorry for me ...", the Moscow State Museum of Folk drawing, Moscow
2011 "A romantic adventure," Gallery "GRUSIGNAC", Berlin, Germany
2011 "Today is a warm winter, probably wants to feel sorry for me ..." Museum Gallery ISS, the hotel complex "Chistye Prudy", Penza
2011-2012 "In Memory of L’vun", Museum Gallery ISS, the hotel complex "Chistye Prudy", Penza
2011-2012 "Believe in bizarre movements ..." gallery "Babylon", Samara
2012 "Great Pyramid", the Federal Cardiology Center, Penza

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1988 - Exhibition of Young Artists, dedicated to the Young Communist League, Exhibition Hall Cinema "Contemporary", town of Penza, Russia
1988 - exhibition of the "Mirror" associaton, an exhibition hall on the Kirov street, 15g, town of Penza, Russia
1989 - exhibition of the "Mirror" associaton an exhibition hall of Moscow State University club, 1, Herzen street, Moscow
1989 - Exhibition of Young Soviet artists. Organizer - a joint Soviet-Canadian venture "PRINTSHOP book", World Trade Center, Moscow
1990 - Exhibition of Three: VAN, C. Norkin, V. Zavarovsky, Gallery on Novo-Posadskaya Street, town of Penza, Russia
1991 - VAN, N. Volokhov, Simonov, E. Sukhodrev - an exhibition in the city of Aachen, Germany
1988, 1991, 1993 - The exhibition of the "Mirror"association, Gallery on Novo-Posadskaya Street, town of Penza, Russia
1992 - "In Penza and about ...", Art Gallery named after K.A.Savitsky, town of Penza, Russia
1994 - "New Names", Geneva
1995 - Exhibition of Three: VAN, C. Norkin, N. Norkin, Gallery on Novo-Posadskaya Street, town of Penza, Russia
1996 - the anniversary exhibition of the "Mirror" association with the presentation of the catalog, town of Penza, Russia
1997 - "Fragments of mirrors", Gallery on Novo-Posadskaya Street, town of Penza, Russia
1999 - Exhibition of children's art school teachers ╧ 1 named after V.E. Tatlin, Literary Museum in town of Penza, Russia
2000 - "Frontier", a group of Moscow artists "Nord", Central House of Artists, Moscow
2001 - "Name-day of the heart", a group of Moscow artists "Nord", Central House of Artists, Moscow
2002 - Exhibition of children's art teachers and art schools, the Penza Picture Gallery named after K.A.Savitsky, town of Penza, Russia
2004 - Exhibition of the "Mirror" group at the Museum-salon of classical culture, town of Zarechny, Penza Region, Russia
2010 «Contemporary romantics. Saint-Petersburg”. «S.P.A.S.” Gallery at Open Art Fair, Utrecht, Holland
2010 «From Russia with love”, «S.P.A.S.” Gallery in Florence, Italy
2010 - 2011 - "Russian Mosaics", Allagallery, Stockholm
2011 "ART ... ESSENZ N13", Sony Center, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin

PUBLICATIONS

1991 – publication in Moscow collection of young writers «Cross-crosswise”: illustration for tale by Ruslan Marsovich «Gryphon” and so on.
1994 – publication in magazine «Sura”, town of Penza: illustration, cover