VLADIMIR SHINKAREV

Vladimir Shinkarev was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1954, and later studied Art at Leningrad University, Muhina College and Repin Art Academy. The leader of the MITKI group of artists in St. Petersburg, talented and recognised worldwide artist with a strong history of exhibitions across both Europe and the USA, including the exhibition at the United Nations Headquarters in May 2000 in New York and Art 2002 in London. Powerful writer, an author of very popular and very funny books, in which he successfully combines the sophisticated elements of the elite culture with the absurdism, primitivism and folk humour. The language of his prose has influenced Russian spoken language more than any other book in the last 50 years. His popularity as a writer came through his first book "Maxim and Fyodor", which he wrote in 1980. The book was illegal for a few years, until the actual end of Communism (Perestroika did not happen overnight!) People printed the text on their typewriters, 5 copies in one go (Russian Samisdat), and he became a famous writer without ever being published. Meanwhile he wrote another book, "Mitki", which helped to discover their real identity to the whole generation of young Russians. At the beginning of the 90-s "Maxim and Fyodor" was officially published in Russia and immediately became a bestseller. Since then it had numerous reprints, then it was translated and published in Poland, Germany (two editions), and in Italy. His other books are: novels "Mitki", "Papua from Gonduras", short stories.

Additional information about Vladimir Shinkarev is at the websites www.mitki.ru and www.whitespacegallery.co.uk