I was born in Leningrad in 1976. I always had a lot of hobbies but initially drawing did not prevail over music, English, and choreography. While at school, I took painting classes in a local art studio... And finally, after the 8th grade I had to make the first serious choice of my life: I had to decide whether to join a study program with an emphasis on literature and language or take an enhanced study of drawing which I liked more. Then I studied book graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts for six years. Generally, I am very grateful to the academic school. Artistic traditions will last for centuries and they will never go out of fashion. I have a feeling for genuine art and I am not a great fan of fragmented, “clip” perception. But, at the same time, it is this academic conservatism that sometimes makes me rebel and attempt to take a fresh look at familiar things. So I often veer off into installations and video art. The most important thing I got out of the Academy training is a respect for a job well done. I would like to keep it, no matter what direction my work takes.