Vitaly Pushnitsky is generally acknowledged to be one of the leading young artists to have emerged from St. Petersburg, the ‘cultural capital’ of Russia. His work has been shown as individual exhibitions in both of the city’s most prestigious galleries, the Hermitage and the Russian Museum.

An exploration of light is at the heart of this artist’s work, in which it is used as a multi-layered, visual metaphor, telling the story of our world. And light is not limited to the surface of his canvases: it is often used as an external feature, placed in contrast to his work, adding something, and sometimes drastically transforming the ideas contained within.

Two years ago, as part of his ‘Human Project’ for the 1st Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Pushnitsky exhibited a row of separate canvases with neon lights. For this exhibition in pop/off/art the artist is preparing a project in which similar canvases will be incorporated into the space of a total installation, along with light elements created especially for the gallery. Marble slabs with engraved Latin inscriptions, illuminated ‘caryatids’, spotlighted canvases: all of these elements will work together to create a unique atmosphere for reflections on the eternal, existential problems of human existence.