The Russian-born, New York-based artist Ilya Zomb wants viewers to look at his paintings “as you would travel to some exotic country and stare in amazement at the strange new world.” He explores the outer reaches of realism, where lovingly observed everyday objects blend seamlessly with elements of fantasy, creating elegant enigmas reminiscent of early Renaissance pictures imbued with occult iconographies that hold us spellbound, even when we cannot fully decode them. The influence of Henri Rousseau can be felt in some of his paintings, but Zomb’s recent work has a cooler, more formal beauty with intriguing surface textures achieved using a small palette knife. In "Motif of Autumn Parade", the figure is a dancer in practice clothes, moving on hands and knees across the geometrically squared floor, accompanied by a group of snails, which she watches attentively. These little creatures, with their elegant spiral shells, are a recurring motif for Zomb, perhaps as emblems of patient craftsmanship. The interior space has a frieze of pumpkins, gourds and a bird arrayed across the foreground which adds to the perspective-box theatricality, reminiscent of a Piero della Francesca painting. "Evolution of Steadfast Concentration", is a very witty, playful piece in which two dogs confront a trio of pigeons on top of what looks like a model of a De Chirico arcade. The eye-contact stare-down between the two groups suggests an Aesop’s fable for which we have mislaid the moral. Zomb remarks: “The world constantly creates still lifes around us. And yet everything is always in motion.” The almost imperceptible movements of snails are perfectly consonant with Zomb’s enchanted realm, becalmed yet quietly humming with imaginative vitality.
Solo Exhibitions:
2011
- Campton Gallery, New York City. October
2009
- Overcoming of Stillness. Campton Gallery, New York City
- Overcoming of Stillness. Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA
2006
- Metamorphoses of Stillness. Campton Gallery, New York City
2004
- Pairs. Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York City
2001
- Recent Paintings. Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York City
1999
- Recent Paintings. Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York City
1998
- New Paintings and prints. Bennett Galleries, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Recent Paintings. Sailor Valentine's Gallery. Nantucket, Massachusetts.
1997
- Daily Phenomena. Avery on Bond, NoHo, NYC
- New Paintings. Davidson Galleries. Seattle, Washington
1996
- New Works. Bennett Galleries, Knoxville, Tennessee.
- Pictures of Ordinary Life. Avery on Bond, NoHo, New York City.
1995
- Central Park's Fairy Tales. Synchronicity Space Gallery, SoHo, NYC.
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2010
- 3 Artists. Campton Gallery, New York City
2008, 2010
- Red Dot Miami, Red Dot New York. Campton Gallery.
2007
- Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Great opening show. St. Helena.CA
2003
- ART Chicago. Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Chicago.
- 20th Anniversary. Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, NYC
1997
- Fine Art Auction. Lincoln Center, NYC
1996
- The World Bank. Washington, D.C.
- Sailor Valentine's Gallery. Nantucket, Massachusetts .
1995
- The Brookfield Gallery of Fine Arts, Massachusetts.
- Crossing Over. The RJR Nabisco Gallery, East Hanover, New Jersey.
- Phoenix Art Gallery. Topeka, Kansas.
- Animals and Art. Bennett Gallery, Knoxville, Tennessee.
- Sailor Valentine's Gallery. Nantucket, Massachusetts.
- FNARC, New York City.
1994
- Sailor Valentine Gallery, Nantucket, Massachusetts.
1993
- From The Union No Longer, SoHo, NYC
1992
- Anna Howard Gallery, Connecticut.
- A Russian Affair, Princeton, New Jersey.
1991
- Synchronicity Space Gallery, SoHo, New York City.
1990
- Prince Art Gallery, SoHo, New York City.
- Exhibition of 4 Artists. Anna Howard Gallery, Connecticut.
1987
- National Museum of Art of Ukraine. Kiev, USSR.
- Youth of Country, Manege, Moscow, USSR.
- Exhibition of Young Artists. Kiev, USSR.
1979 –1988
- Participated throughout in various local and national exhibition and art shows.
Odessa and Kiev, USSR.
Education:
Odessa State Art College, USSR (9/75 - 6/79).
Majored in fine arts at the Odessa Art School, USSR (9/71-5/75)
Publications:
American Arts Quarterly. (cover and article). Winter 2010
Menninger. Perspective. Number 2, 2002, Number 2, 2004
Art Now Gallery Guide. May 2004 (New York)
METPO. May 2004. Russian American Weekly Magazine (New York)
The Week. November 30, 2001 page 26(New York)
The Spirit of Butterflies. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 2000
Entree Magazine, (on cover) 2000
Mode Magazine, 1999, 1998(New York)
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1998 (Tennessee)
Gallery & Studio, 1999 (NYC)
Metro Pulse, 1996, 1998 (Tennessee)
Novoye Russkoye Slovo (Russian American Daily Newspaper) 1993,
1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007 (NYC)
The Nantucket Beacon ,1996 (Massachusetts)
The New York Observer, 1996 (NYC)
Russian Reporter, 1996 (NYC)
ArtSpeak 1993, 1995 (NYC)
The Worcester Phoenix, 1995 (Massachusetts)
North County News, 1993 (New York)
Jewish Week, 1993 (NYC)
Voices, 1990 (Connecticut),
Heritage Villager, 1990 (Connecticut).
Interview with "Culture" TV channel - Russia. 2007.
Interview with WMNB (Russian-American Broadcasting Co.) 1995.
Interview with WCCA - Cable 13 (Massachusetts) 1995.
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