Alexander Shibniov

ALEXANDER SHIBNIOV (Minsk, Belarus, 1962).
"White Rose."
Tempera on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 34 x 36 cm; 48 x 50 cm (frame).
Alexander Shibniov's work is firmly rooted in Russian customs. His works tell a story, and an aesthetic linked to the iconic inherited from tradition. His style also pays homage to the ancient culture of elaborately painted Russian papier-mâché boxes, which is reinforced by the use of wood in his works, a feature that further resembles his works to these aforementioned boxes. His works stand out aesthetically by an idea of symmetry and emphatic lines. Thus creating compositions of great purity that reflect an idea of harmony and even spiritual character. This trait can be appreciated in his characters of elongated and thin proportions, with sharp hands and incisive but subtle features that connect the viewer with a world of stillness and symbolic amplitude. These characters are usually placed on a neutral background that enhances the forms and gives a greater monumentality to the figure. He uses a traditional technique such as tempera, in which egg yolk and natural pigments are used to obtain the colors, which he applies on a board. The choice of both the technique and the wood as a support is a relevant element in Alexander's work since it is a material that represents stability, the organic and the natural.
Born in 1962, Alexandre Shibniov, felt an interest in art since his childhood. Belonging to a family with several generations of artists. Therefore, his pictorial training began at the hands of his parents, who aesthetically influenced the development of his work. Later he continued his academic training in an official way, enrolling at the art school in Minsk, where he graduated in fine arts and applied arts. After completing his studies he began his career as a decorator of public buildings. He worked as an artist-designer at the Minsk Art Workshops of the Art Foundation of the USSR between 1983 and 1993.
However, he abandoned this practice to focus on a pictorial production. In 1997 he participated in the project "VIA REGIA 97 - Blick nach Osten", European Center of Culture and Information Thuringen and Sparda-Bank, Erfurt, Germany and two years later he became a member of the Union of Artists of Belarus. In 2002 he participated in the art-in-residence program at "Kunst- & Handwerkshaus", Kulturinitiative Gmünd, Carinthia, Austria. During his artistic career he has participated in several exhibitions both as a group and solo artist. Among them stand out; his first group exhibition in 1988 of works by young Belarusian artists, at the National Art Gallery "Palace of Art", Minsk, Belarus, the Affordable Art Fair, "Barn Galleries" London, UK in 2006, ARTSPACE at "Barn Galleries", Henley on Thames, UK in 2006, the International Festival of Verneuil d'Art Naïf, Verneuil-sur-Avre, France in 2006, the Group Exhibition at Nemerlaer Castle, Haaren, The Netherlands in 2005, the Art Fair REALISME-04, Gallery "Hamer", Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 2004 and the Image Exhibition at the Triennale für keramische Kunst, Spiez, Switzerland in 2011, the Group Exhibition at museum of history and art Sergiyev Posad in 2016 and the Solo Exhibition at the Gallery "ArtCrans-Montana" Switzerland in 2018 among others.