Ihar Barkhatkou

Belorussian Contemporary Art by Ihar Barkhatkou - Portrait of an Old Man

2021

Ihar Barkhatkou is a Belorussian artist born in 1988 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is graduated from Belarussian State Academy of Arts in 2011 located in Minsk, Belarus and member of the International Association of Visual Artists in Florence, Italy since 2023. The artist believes it can be perceived in his work with the combination of the formalist school of spatial drawing with both abstract expressionism and calligraphy. His principal aim is to evolve common depicted objects into a pulse that beats beyond contours, creating the illusion of motion in every section of the canvas, including empty space. Mannerism, structuring, and even professionalism are rejected, by using ragged strokes and making the most of the “mistakes” effect; this allows the outlines, both successful and unsuccessful to depict reality and action – the drawing process itself. It is his desire to challenge the viewer to see through, not only the image itself but also the whole process of formation and gradual unfolding of the space in its totality.