Igor Ponosov (b. 1980)
Lives and works between Strasbourg and Saint Petersburg.

Igor Ponosov is an Interdisciplinary artist, working in different disciplines as Public art, Urban Interventions, Land art, Participatory, Collage, Drawing and Photography. Publishing and the creation of unique original books as artist books occupy a special place in Igor’s practice.

In his artistic practice Igor strives for a variety of approaches and methods, his outdoor works comprehend the context in which they are located – critically or poetically. In the studio, Igor creates drawings and collages, referring to materials found on the street – advertising banners and false facades. He complements them with building fittings and metal frames, reminiscent of structures for attaching advertising and referring to their natural environment in the city.

The central theme with which Igor works in recent years is the identification of the boundaries of the personal and the public. Through performative practices and street interventions, he interacts with the urban space – artist becomes part of a wall, house, window, or merges with the landscape, metaphorically expressing the absorption of a person by an urbanized environment.

Author of numerous publications and books, includes monographs: Art and the city (Russian: Искусство и город, 2016/2021), Russian Urban Art: History and Conflicts (2018) and As the Dance ends (2022). Here is the full list of publications. 

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

Art works available to purchase
COLAB Gallery, Weil-am-Rhein, Germany.
Bizar, Online.
Syntax Gallery, Moscow.
Elohovskiy Gallery, Moscow

Solo shows

• 2022 — Imagined Journey. Syntax Gallery, Moscow.
• 2021 — Cutting the Walls. Ural branch of Pushkin Museum, Yekaterinburg.
  2021 — Participant Observation. Syntax Gallery, Moscow.
• 2020 — Cutting the Walls. CCI Fabrika, Moscow.
• 2018 — Is It Dangerous To Take A Shower During A Thunderstorm? Coat gallery, Miami.
• 2017 — GARAGE L6 #17. GARAGE L6, Freiburg.
• 2016 — The Thaw. In collaboration with Brad Downey. CCI Fabrika, Moscow.

Selected group shows and festivals

• 2024 — Grenzen/Borders. In frame of Regionale 25, Städtische Galerie Stapflehus, Weil am Rhein.
• 2024 — Allotopie 6. En cours art space, Paris.
• 2024 — DE: CONSTRUCT. Migration and Integration. Green hill gallery, Berlin. 
• 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. GEH8 Kunstraum, Dresden.
• 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. CCI Fabrika, Moscow.
• 2022 — New from Old.
  Krasnokholmskaya Gallery, Moscow.
• 2021 — 2МАП.
  Exhibition space at Zaryadie park, Moscow.
• 2020 — rePlastic. Electromuseum, Moscow.
• 2019 — Post-Posters. Syndicat Potentiel, Strasbourg.
• 2019 — The Absurd. Candid Arts Trust space, London.
• 2018 — Bien Urbain Festival. Besancon.
• 2018 — Habitat Happy. Neurotitan Gallery, Berlin.
• 2018 — Partizaning: Participatory Urban Replanning. Nosna Gallery, Krakow.
• 2018 — Meine Strasse? Моя Улица? August Bebel Institut, Berlin.
• 2017 — Nuart Festival. Stavanger.
• 2017 — Russische Kulturtage Festival. Freiburg.
• 2017 — Cultural Hijack. International School of Architecture ARCHIP, Prague.
• 2017 — Hand luggage only. Nuart Gallery, Stavanger.
• 2016 — XXI Triennale di Milano International. Exposition EXPERIENCE (Ex Expo Area), Milano.
• 2016 — Crossing Borders / Crossing Boundaries. Street Art Museum, Saint Petersburg.
• 2016 — Life o’ Banner. Cracow Gallery Weekend KRAKERS, Krakow.
• 2015 — Russland vs. Russland Kulturkonflikte. Studio 1 Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin.
• 2015 — 2nd International Award for Public Art. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland.
• 2014 — global aCtIVISm. the ZKM, Karlsruhe.
• 2014 — 11. Garage Museum, Moscow.
• 2013 — The 10th Sao Paulo Architecture Biennale. SESC, Sao-Paolo.
• 2013 — Art-Ovrag Festival. Vyksa.
• 2013 — Barents Spectacle. Kirkenes.
• 2013 — Cooperation territory.
  16th LINE Gallery, Rostov-on-Don.
• 2012 — Sobyanin, baby, c’mon!
  Vostochnaya Gallery, Moscow.
• 2012 — The Wall. Winzavod, Moscow.
• 2008 — Art about Mortality. M-Gallery, Rostov-on-Don.

Awards & Grants

• 2024 — 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.
• 2012–2013 — The program in support young Russian artists (laureate). Museum of Contemporary art Garage, Moscow.

Art Residencies

• 2024 — Atelier Mondial. Basel.
• 2024 — Residency at Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde. Campus France, French Institute, Bagneux, France.
• 2024 — ZK/U Residency.
  Zentrum fur Kunst und Urbanistik. Berlin
• 2023 — Art residency in the 9B Gallery. Nizhny 800, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
• 2019 — Fabrika studios. Session VI.
  CCI Fabrika, Moscow.
• 2017 — Gastatelier im Kunsthaus L6. Das Kulturamt der Stadt Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
• 2016 — Living Alive. NCCA Arsenal, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
• 2014 — Arts Leadership Fellows.
  CEC ArtsLink, New York.
• 2014 — Discover Eliava. GeoAIR Art Residency, Tbilisi, Georgia. 

My Books

• 2023 — As the Dance ends, bilingual monograph.
• 2022 — Interlacing of Dreams, artist book.
• 2021 — Art and the City, second edition, monograph.
• 2020 — Cutting the Walls, bilingual catalogue. 
• 2019 — Encyclopedia of Russian Street Art (co-author, editor). Artmossphere, Moscow.
• 2018 — Russian Urban Art: History and Conflicts, monograph in English.
• 2018 — Delai Sam: grass-roots and activism from ex-USSR (co-author, chief editor).
• 2018 — Street Art Museum: A permanent collection №1. 2013–2018 (co-author, chief editor).
• 2017 — RECLAIM, RECODE, REINVENT: Urban Art and Activism in Eastern Europe (co-author, chief editor). MitOst Stiftung, Berlin.
• 2016 — Art and the city, monograph in Russian.
• 2015 — Switchie/Switchie (co-author), artist book. Possible Books, Berlin.
• 2005–2008 — Objects № 1–3 (co-author, chief editor, publisher), bilingual street art magazine. 

My books in Libraries

• Garage Museum, Moscow, Russia
• MMOMA, Education center, Moscow, Russia
• Ruarts Foundation, Moscow, Russia
• UCL, University College London, London, UK
• The British Library, St. Pancras, London, UK
• University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library, Philadelphia, US
• Cornell University Library, Ithaca, US
• Duke University Libraries, Perkins Library, Durham, US
• University of Washington Libraries, Seattle, US 
• UC Berkeley Libraries, Berkeley, US
• Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, US
• Harvard University, Fine Arts Library, Cambridge, US
• Yale University Library, New Haven, US
• Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, US
• Princeton University Library, Princeton, US
• New York University, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, US
• New York Public Library System, New York, US
• Columbia University in the City of New York, US
• Library of Congress, Washington, US
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
• University of Chicago Library, Chicago, US
• Indiana University, Bloomington, US
• Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Bibliothek, München, Germany
• Bibliothek der Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• Bibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, München, Germany
• Bibliothek der Fachhochschule Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
• Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
• Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg, Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany
• Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Strasbourg, Strasbourg Cedex, France
• Monash University Library, Clayton, Australia

Curation

• 2022 — Here and now. Public art Project, Moscow.
• 2021 — Public Library. Ruarts Foundation, Moscow.
• 2020 — Russian Urban art archive. MCA Garage, Moscow.
• 2017, 2018 — Graffiti in the Internet age.
  Electromuseum, Moscow.
  Street art Museum, St. Petersburg.
• 2017 — New Urban Reality.
  CLB Gallery, Berlin.
• 2015 — ЦЕХ. CCC Smena, Kazan.
• 2015 — Urban Exploration.
  Moscow Urban Forum, Manege, Moscow.
• 2013–2015 — Delai Sam.
  Zil, Flacon, Moscow.
• 2010–2013 — The Wall. Winzavod, Moscow.
• 2008 — Russian Street Art is Dead.
  M’ARS Gallery, Moscow.

Selected links

• Interview: Igor Ponosov (RUS): Artist, curator, researcher, author and publisher focused on Urban Art since 20 years. UrbanPresents, 2024.
• Russian Urban Art: Poetry, Philosophy, and Manifestos in the Streets. Brooklyn Street Art, 2021.
• Igor Ponosov enlightens with ‘Russian Urban Art: History and Conflicts‘. Brooklyn Street Art, 2018.
• Interviews: Igor Ponosov. Arrested Motion, 2017.
• Igor Ponosov Taking Muralism to a New Level on the Fjords of Norway. Widewalls, 2017.
• Rebirth of Russian Street art during the protest movement. Nuartjournal, 2017.
• Artful dodgers: urban interventionists Partizaning are taking back the streets. Calvert Journal, 2013.

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