Igor Ponosov (b. 1980)
Artist, curator and researcher specializing in urban art, grassroots initiatives and self organized projects. Author of multiple books and monographs published in Russian and English. Served as co-author and chief editor for publications with German institutions: Possible Books, MitOst Foundation, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, and the Street Art Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Member of la Fédération de l’Art Urbain in Paris. Lives and works between Saint Petersburg and Strasbourg, France.

Author of numerous publications and books, includes personal monographs: From Walls to Stages: A Chronicle of Moscow Urban Art. 1991–2020 (Museum of Contemporary art GARAGE, 2025), Art and the city (2016/2021), Russian Urban Art: History and Conflicts (Street art Museum, 2018) and As the Dance ends (2022). Here is the full list of publications. 

Contacts
iponosov@gmail.com
Instagram: @igor_ponosov
Telegram: @iponosov
Profile on the Russian Art Archive Network (RAAN)

Art works/Editions & Books available to purchase
COLAB Gallery, Weil-am-Rhein, Germany.
LL’Editions, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Possible books, Berlin, Germany.
GARAGE Contemporary art Museum, Moscow. 
Syntax Gallery, Moscow.

Selected shows and festivals

• 2026 — Urban art Biennale. Curated by Frank Krämer. Research based Public art Project. Commissioned by Völklinger Hütte, Völklingen, Germany. 
• 2025 — KiöR Gutleutmatten. Curated by Hanna Weber. Public art Project. Commissioned by Kulturamt, Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany.  
• 2025 — COLAB shop corner in frame of the Typography Collective group show. An exclusive printed editions published by COLAB gallery, Weil am Rhein, Germany.    
• 2025 — Self-Portraits.
  10.203 artist run space, Saint Petersburg. 
• 2025 — Private sector.
  Street art Storage, Saint Petersburg. 
• 2025 — 5 Angles.
  Ruarts Contemporary art foundation, Moscow.
• 2024 — Grenzen/Borders. Curated by Patrick Luetzelschwab. In frame of Regionale 25, Städtische Galerie Stapflehus, Weil am Rhein, Germany.
• 2024 — Allotopie 6. Curated by Mathieu Tremblin, Antonio Gallego. En cours art space, Paris, France. 
• 2024 — DE: CONSTRUCT. Migration and Integration. Green hill gallery, Berlin, Germany. 
• 2024 — Tidings. Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg. 
• 2024 — Forms of Time. Elohovskiy gallery, Moscow.
• 2024 — a-s-t-r-a open vol. 4. a-s-t-r-a gallery, Moscow.
• 2023 — Space is the Case. Curated by Thomas Judisch. GEH8 Kunstraum, Dresden, Germany.
• 2023 — The Archipelago of Dreams.
  Smena art center,  Kazan. Sinara gallery, Yekaterinburg.
• 2023 — Collector’s room. Cube art space, Moscow.
• 2023 — Out of place. New landscapes.
  Center of Creative Industries Fabrika, Moscow.
• 2022 — Imagined Journey.
  Solo show at the Syntax Gallery, Moscow.
• 2022 — New from Old.
  Krasnokholmskaya Gallery, Moscow.
• 2021 — 2МАП.
  Exhibition space at Zaryadie park, Moscow.
• 2021 — Cutting the Walls. Solo show at the Ural branch of Pushkin Museum, Yekaterinburg.
  2021 — Participant Observation. Solo show at the Syntax Gallery, CUBE art space, Moscow.
• 2020 — rePlastic. Electromuseum, Moscow.
• 2020 — Cutting the Walls. Solo show at the Center Creative Industries Fabrika, Moscow.
• 2019 — Post-Posters. Curated by Mathieu Tremblin, Antonio Gallego. Syndicat Potentiel, Strasbourg, France. 
• 2019 — The Absurd.
  Candid Arts Trust space, London, UK. 
• 2018 — Is It Dangerous To Take A Shower During A Thunderstorm? Solo show at the Coat gallery (art intervention), Miami, USA.
• 2018 — Bien Urbain Festival.
  Curated by Brad Downey. Besançon, France. 
• 2018 — Habitat Happy. Curated by Annika Hirsekorn. Neurotitan Gallery, Berlin, Germany. 
• 2018 — Partizaning: Participatory Urban Replanning. Nosna Gallery, Krakow, Poland.
• 2018 — Meine Strasse? Моя Улица? Curated by Alexandra Yurieva-Civjane, Alexandra Goloborodko. August Bebel Institut, Berlin, Germany.
• 2017 — Nuart Festival. Curated by Martyn Reed. Stavanger, Norway.
• 2017 — Russische Kulturtage Festival. Curated by Margarita Augustin. Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
• 2017 — Cultural Hijack. Curated by Epos257, Ben Parry. International School of Architecture ARCHIP, Prague, Czech Republic.
• 2017 — Hand luggage only. Curated by Martyn Reed. Nuart Gallery, Stavanger, Norway.
• 2017 — GARAGE L6 #17. Solo show at the GARAGE L6, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
• 2016 — XXI Triennale di Milano International. Exposition EXPERIENCE (Ex Expo Area), Milano, Italy.
• 2016 — The Thaw. In collaboration with Brad Downey. Duo show at the Center of Creative Industries Fabrika, Moscow.
• 2016 — Crossing Borders / Crossing Boundaries. Curated by Rafael Schacter. Street Art Museum, Saint Petersburg.
• 2016 — Life o’ Banner. Cracow Gallery Weekend KRAKERS, Krakow, Poland.
• 2015 — Russland vs. Russland Kulturkonflikte. Curated by Alexandra Yurieva-Civjane, Alexandra Goloborodko. Studio 1 Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, Germany.
• 2015 — 2nd International Award for Public Art. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand.
• 2014 — global aCtIVISm.
  Curated by Peter Weibel. ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany.
• 2014 — 11.
  GARAGE Contemporary art Museum, Moscow.
• 2013 — The 10th Sao Paulo Architecture Biennale. SESC, Sao-Paolo, Brazil. 
• 2013 — Art-Ovrag Festival. Vyksa.
• 2013 — Barents Spectacle festival. Kirkenes, Norway.
• 2013 — Cooperation territory.
  16th LINE Gallery, Rostov-on-Don.
• 2012 — Sobyanin, baby, c’mon!
  Vostochnaya Gallery, Moscow.
• 2012 — The Wall. Art center Winzavod, Moscow.
• 2008 — Art about Mortality. M-Gallery, Rostov-on-Don.

Curation

• 2025 — City. Environment. Code.
  Group show at the Oktava art space, Tula. 
• 2022 — Here and now. Public art Project, commisioned with Culture department of Moscow.
• 2021 — Public Library focused on Urban Contemporary art. Ruarts Contemporary art Foundation, Moscow.
• 2020 — Russian Urban art archive. Archive work for the Museum of Contemporary art GARAGE, Moscow.
• 2017, 2018 — Graffiti in the Internet age.
  Group shows at the Electromuseum (Moscow) and the Street art Museum (St. Petersburg).
• 2017 — New Urban Reality.
  Group show at the CLB Gallery, Berlin, Germany.
• 2015 — ЦЕХ.
  Residency program at the Culture center Smena, Kazan.
• 2015 — Urban Exploration. Group show in frame of  Moscow Urban Forum, main exhibition hall Manege, Moscow.
• 2013–2015 — Delai Sam. Festival at the Zil Culture center and Flacon design factory, Moscow.
• 2010–2013 — The Wall.
  Public program at the Art center Winzavod, Moscow.
• 2008 — Russian Street Art is Dead.
  Group show at the M’ARS Gallery, Moscow.

Art Residencies

• 2026 — NOMOS Residency program.
  Glasshütte, Germany.
• 2024 — Atelier Mondial. Basel, Switzerland. 
• 2024 — Residency at Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde. Campus France, Institut français, Bagneux, France.
• 2024 — ZK/U Residency.
  Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik. Berlin, Germany.
• 2023 — Art residency in the 9B Gallery.
  Nizhny 800, Nizhny Novgorod.
• 2019 — Fabrika studios. Session VI.
  Center of Creative Industries Fabrika, Moscow.
• 2017 — Gastatelier im Kunsthaus L6. Das Kulturamt der Stadt Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
• 2016 — Living Alive. NCCA Arsenal, Nizhny Novgorod.
• 2014 — Arts Leadership Fellows.
  CEC ArtsLink, New York, USA.
• 2014 — Discover Eliava.
  GeoAIR Art Residency, Tbilisi, Georgia. 

Awards & Grants

• 2025 — Zverev Art Prize (short list), an award in Russian Contemporary art critic. Moscow. 
• 2023 — GARAGE.txt (laureate), a program in support Researchers of Russian Contemporary art. Museum of Contemporary art Garage, Moscow.
• 2023 — Zhar-kniga (long list), an award in Book design. Moscow.
• 2021 — 2th Moscow Art Prize (short list), an award in Contemporary art of Moscow.
• 2019 — 12th Kandinsky prize (short list), an award in Russian Contemporary art, nomination: Scientific work on history and theory of contemporary art. BREUS Foundation, MMOMA, Moscow.
• 2016 — 8th Sergey Kuryokhin prize (laureate), an award in Contemporary art, nomination: The Best text in contemporary art. Sergey Kuryokhin art center, St. Petersburg.
• 2014 — Coal Prize (short list), an award in Contemporary art focused on ecological issues. Paris, France. 
• 2012–2013 — The program in support young Russian artists (laureate). Museum of Contemporary art Garage, Moscow.

My Books

• 2025 — From Walls to Stages: A Chronicle of Moscow Urban Art, 1991–2020, monograph in Russian. Published by GARAGE Museum, Moscow.  
• 2025 — Sergey Sapozhnikov. |||¦||||. Metro. Sap, self-published bilingual monograph with small amount. Moscow. 
• 2023 — As the Dance ends, self-published bilingual monograph with small amount. Moscow. 
• 2022 — Interlacing of Dreams, self-published artist book with small amount. Moscow. 
• 2021 — Art and the City, second edition, self-published monograph in Russian. Moscow. 
• 2020 — Cutting the Walls, self-published bilingual catalogue with small amount. Moscow. 
• 2019 — Encyclopedia of Russian Urban Art (co-author, editor). Russian edition, published by Artmossphere, Moscow.
• 2018 — Russian Urban Art: History and Conflicts, self-published monograph in English. Moscow. 
• 2018 — Delai Sam: grass-roots and activism from ex-USSR (co-author, chief editor). Russian edition, Moscow. 
• 2018 — Street Art Museum: A permanent collection №1. 2013–2018 (co-author, chief editor). Bilingual edition, published by Street Art Musem, St. Petersburg. 
• 2017 — RECLAIM, RECODE, REINVENT: Urban Art and Activism in Eastern Europe (co-author, chief editor). English edition, published by MitOst Stiftung, Berlin, Germany.
• 2016 — Art and the city, self-published monograph in Russian. Moscow. 
• 2015 — Switchie/Switchie (co-author), bilingual artist book with small amount. Published by Possible Books, Berlin, Germany.
• 2005–2008 — Objects № 1–3 (co-author, chief editor, publisher), self-published bilingual street art magazine. 

My books in Libraries sorted by countries
by worldcat.org

• Russia: The Russian State Library (RSL, Moscow); The National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg; Garage Contemporary art Museum; Moscow Museum of Modern Art; Ruarts Contemporary art Foundation.
• USA: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; University of Pennsylvania Libraries; Cornell University Library; Duke University Libraries; Perkins Library; University of Washington Libraries; UC Berkeley Libraries; Stanford University Libraries; Harvard University; Fine Arts Library; Yale University Library; Getty Research Institute; Princeton University Library; New York University; Elmer Holmes Bobst Library; New York Public Library; Columbia University in the City of New York; Library of Congress in Washington; University of Pittsburgh; University of Chicago Library; Indiana University; University of Notre Dame.
• UK: University College London; The British Library, St. Pancras; Cambridge University Library.
• Germany: Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Bibliothek in München; Bibliothek der Humboldt-Universität Berlin; Bibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek; Bibliothek der Fachhochschule Potsdam; Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen; Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg, Freiburg/Breisgau; Zentrum für Kunst und Medien Karlsruhe / Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung.
• France: Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Strasbourg.
• Switzerland: Universitätsbibliothek Basel; Universität Zürich / Nebis.
• Australia: Monash University Library.
• Canada: University of Toronto Group.

Selected links

• Igor Ponosov (RUS): Artist, curator, researcher, author and publisher focused on Urban Art since 20 years. UrbanPresents, 2024.
• Igor Ponosov. Imagined Journey. Youtube, 2023.
• Cozy corner – Igor Ponosov. Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik (ZK/U), 2023. 
• Igor Ponosov. Artist edition. LL`Editions, 2022. 
• Russian Urban Art: Poetry, Philosophy, and Manifestos in the Streets. Brooklyn Street Art, 2021.
• Street art archive. The Russian Art Archive Network (RAAN), 2020. 
• Igor Ponosov enlightens with ‘Russian Urban Art: History and Conflicts‘. Brooklyn Street Art, 2018.
• Interviews: Igor Ponosov. Arrested Motion, 2017.
• Nuart festival 2017 – Igor Ponosov. Youtube, 2017. 

Selected Printed publications (Eng/De/Fr)

• Post Vandalism, book by Stephen Burke, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 2025. 
• Mirabilia – Volumen 1, book by Bucle Editorial, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2025.
• The Posttraumatic vol. X/VII/III, newspaper, Barcelona, Spain, 2025/2024/2022.
• Graffiti und Politik, book by Friederike Häuser (Ed.), Robert Kaltenhäuser (Ed.), Beltz Juventa, Germany, 2023. 
• Kandinsky Prize. Exhibition of the Nominees, catalogue by BREUS Foundation, Moscow, 2019.
• Coordinate system, catalogue by CLB Gallery/Butterbrot, Berlin, Germany, 2017.
• BAUMEISTER #B6-2017, architecture magazine, Munich, Germany, 2017.
• The new European 14–20 September, 2017, newspaper.
• Journal Uni Versum 05 2017, magazine, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, 2017. 
• Kuryokhin award 2016, catalogue by Kuryokhin art center, Saint Petersburg, 2016.    
• Crossing Borders / Crossing Boundaries, catalogue by Rafael Schacter (Ed.), Street Art Museum, Saint Petersburg, 2016. 
• Global Activism: Art and Conflict in the 21st Century, book by Peter Weibel (Ed.), The MIT Press, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2015. 
• Russland vs. Russland. Kulturkonflikte, booklet, Berlin, Germany, 2015.
• Partizaning №1–7, bulletens, Moscow, 2011–2015. 
• PRIXCOAL2014, booklet by COAL, Paris, France, 2014. 
• Stadt Aspekte / July 2013, magazine, Berlin, Germany.
• KUNSTFORUM: Urban Performance Bd.223, magazine, Berlin, Germany, 2013.

—
Portrait by Roman Konovalov.
Syntax gallery, Moscow, 2022.