Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Gerasev.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Winter. Evening. A man stands painting a landscape. It is 5 degrees and his mustache and beard are collecting the falling snow. It is the late 1980s, St. Petersburg, Russia. I am 12 years old.
Until then, I had participated in the activities of your typical Russian youth: chess, choral practice, and school. Seeing that man was an epiphany for me: I knew that I would be an artist. Like most children, I had practiced drawing in school, and like most Russians I had grown up looking at art. But, until that moment, I did not realize it would become my life.
My parents were quick to recognize that I was serious about my new ambition and enrolled me in art classes outside of school. I then studied at the B. Ioganson St. Petersburg State Academy Art Lyceum from middle to high school and later was accepted into a six-year program at the I. Repin St. Petersburg State Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (Repin Academy) for college.
I moved to the US in 1999 and have worked as a professional artist since then. I am currently part of the faculty of the Illustration Department of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I never saw myself teaching, but it is such rewarding work and my talented students and colleagues inspire me every day.
That day in the park, I did not envision that I would one day be in America, in the cold, with snow collecting in my hair. But my focus on art and what it means to be an artist has not changed, even as I, and the world around me, continue to.
Please tell us about your art.
My work is characterized by bold lines and a playful yet melancholy mood. I make drawings, relief linocut prints, lithographs and murals. I enjoy making detailed and labor-intensive work. My work is often focused on the idea of a journey, searching for purpose or being an outsider, and evokes feelings of nostalgia, connection, longing and alienation. I invite the viewer into a world that is both beautiful and strange, where the drama of everyday life plays out among flying dogs and stranded ships, and inquisitive creatures dot ethereal landscapes. My work always has a narrative component, but I am also interested in using patterns to create a mood and visual stimulation. I tend to fill every inch of the page. I am most influenced by what I encounter in the world, from books to movies to interactions with the people around me. My purpose is to put this on paper. I hope people will be inspired to search for their own purpose in life, be kind to each other and protect our beautiful planet.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
Artists have been addressing social and political issues for a long time, especially those artists who weren’t focused on financial compensation. It has become impossible for me not to be affected by what is going on in my community, this country and the world. My recent work explores what it feels like to be unsettled. I’m looking at how people are being displaced because of war, climate change, economic challenges, societal issues, or other forces, and what it feels like to not have safety and stability. Artists have a unique and powerful platform through which to draw attention to and address the issues that matter to them, and I’m feeling moved to do that.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I show my work regularly at galleries and list my current shows on my website alexgerasev.com. Locally, my work is in the collections of the Boston Athenæum and Boston Public Library and is always in the gallery of the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge. You can see my large outdoor mural on Shirley Ave across from the Revere Beach T station.
Contact Info:
- Website: alexgerasev.com
Image Credit:
Alex Gerasev
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