Background
Vladimir Kush was born in 1965 in Russia, in a one-story wooden house near the Moscow forest-park Sokolniki.
Moscow Higher Art and Craft School
December '11 Laguna Beach Show 1
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Vladimir Kush was born in 1965 in Russia, in a one-story wooden house near the Moscow forest-park Sokolniki.
At the age of seven, Vladimir began to attend art school until late evening where he became acquainted with the works of great artists of the Renaissance, famous Impressionists, and Modern Artists. Then Vladimir entered the Moscow Higher Art and Craft School at the age of 17, but a year later he was conscripted.
After six months of military training in 1983, the unit commander thought it more appropriate to employ Vladimir exclusively for peaceful purposes, namely, painting propagandistic posters. After military service and graduating from the Institute of Fine Arts, Vladimir painted portraits on Arbat Street to support his family during the hard times in Russia.
In the year 1987, Vladimir began to take part in exhibitions organized by the Union of Artists. At a show in Coburg, Germany in 1990, nearly all his displayed paintings sold and after closing the exhibition, he flew to Los Angeles where twenty of his works were exhibited and began his “American Odyssey.”
In Los Angeles, Kush worked in a small, rented home garage, but was unable to find a place to display his paintings. He earned money by drawing portraits on the Santa Monica pier and eventually was able to purchase a ticket to his “Promised Land”, Hawaii.
In 1993, a dealer from France noticed the originality of Kush’s work and organized an exhibition in Hong Kong. Success surpassed all expectations. In 1995, a new exhibition in Hong Kong at the Mandarin Fine Art Gallery brought more success. In 1997 he had a new start in the USA exhibiting in the galleries in Lahaina, Hawaii, and in Seattle. In 2001 Kush opened his first gallery, Kush Fine Art in Lahaina, Hawaii. He now has four gallery locations in the USA with future plans to open more galleries around the world.
Quotations:
“To reflect the world in the mirror of the metaphor — this is my goal. Metaphor does not only belong to linguistic communication but can also be found in our daily life. Metaphor is the means of communication that we live by. First of all, the metaphor is aimed at the viewer’s feelings and subconscious. It gives full rein to imagination, as it is the imagination that creates the connections between two seemingly different things.”
“Metaphor leaves the mind open to grasp onto the hidden likeness of things and events. And the more distant these things are, the greater the effect. The unexpectedness of the connection and sudden insight, which takes your breath away, is the true measure of the painting’s value.”
“… metaphorical art challenges our subconscious with the symbolism of artifacts. Any metaphor has its own story to tell. Metaphor ‘sees’ through centuries, unveiling the images of the world and connecting notions created by civilization. At the same time, metaphor can easily reflect the complexities of our modern life, with its ambiguity and contradictions. My mission is to find a metaphorical “parallel” for every side of real life. The element of unexpectedness will shake up the viewer and awaken his artistic nature.”
“Because of its ability to fly, its metamorphosis and its weightless quality, the Butterfly is a symbol of the soul, according to many different mythologies. Psyche, Greek goddess of the soul, was depicted with butterfly wings. Travel, journey, and beauty are also attributes of the Butterfly.”
“I believe that the viewer’s insight comes at once. It is not about discovering something new. This concept is similar to that of Plato who believed there is an ideal world, a “cave” that human souls once dwelled in. The “cave” retained their core ideas of things after they left. Therefore, the insight that comes when viewing art is a recollection of that. My role is to stimulate this subconscious process of remembering through my art.”
“Our thinking and every day language are deeply metaphorical. One of the most evident examples is ‘Time is money.’ Still the metaphor is not limited only with the form of language – the very process of thinking is metaphorical. Metaphor allows us to build a bridge between distant and unrelated objects. Or as Aristotle put it: ‘Metaphor is the intuitive perception of likeness in the things that are different.'”
“Being exposed to different cultures is definitely a positive gain. My homeland, Russia, was a “closed country” at the time I was growing up. Inability to travel or to see other cultures evoked in me the determination to overcome the boundaries of everyday routine with vivid Imagination and an ability to see surrounding symbols, not just facts. The Russian military at that time was simply an exaggerated model of Soviet social life: a mix of a prison and Boy Scout camp. When I emigrated, many people in America were already “thirsty” for imported imagination, which reminded them of their own forgotten dreams, while surrounded with everyday practical, factual and dynamic life.”
“I do not think that I reached the ‘ceiling;’ new unexpected analogies and associations in the life of people and in the surrounding world will always attract my attention. My slogan: ‘The world is the mirror of Metaphor.'”
Quotes from others about the person
Kush has an uncanny ability to seduce us into seeing the world differently, and if you let him, he will feed your creative mind in a way that few artists can.
