The pop/off/art gallery presents an exhibition by Vladimir Shinkarev, a Soviet and Russian artist and co-founder and ideologist of the Mitki movement. The project "Life Was a Success" will be the artist's fourth solo exhibition at the gallery and revolves around a series of the same name, which addresses the final year of a person, place, or cultural phenomenon as a moment of reflection, when the experience becomes complete and becomes the subject of artistic expression.

The final year of the lives of famous individuals or phenomena is captured in the series as a moment when it becomes possible to formulate the conclusion of a life, to record it as a success. The series of portraits includes historical figures (Peter the Great, John Kennedy, Jean-Paul Marat), writers (Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Leo Tolstoy), musicians (The Beatles, Frédéric Chopin), and other cultural figures who became symbols of their eras. Many of them ended their lives tragically, but it is precisely this ending that allows us to consider their lives fulfilling. Whether it's Charlotte Corday, known to us largely for her vibrant, albeit tragic, epilogue, or Uncle Kolya—an acquaintance of Shinkarev's, but unknown to the general public—whose life ended neither sadly nor tragically, but was no less successful than those of the great and well-known.

This definition also applies to the final year of two significant landscapes of St. Petersburg by Vladimir Shinkarev, whose settings the artist inhabited for many years. The artist spent his childhood near the Borovaya station, and the embankment of the Smolenka River adjoins his studio. Observing the changes in the urban environment, the artist managed to capture the final year of these places' "life" before they lost their former appearance due to intensive development.

"Life Is a Success" combines Shinkarev's iconic landscapes with a well-defined spatial perspective and attention to places significant to the artist and their fate, as well as the master's characteristic attention to cultural phenomena—literary, historical, and everyday contexts. The exhibition will feature 38 works by Vladimir Shinkarev, created as part of a single project, which will be shown to the public in its entirety for the first time.

Vladimir Shinkarev (b. 1954, Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian artist, co-founder and ideologist of the Mitki group. A representative of the St. Petersburg landscape tradition, Shinkarev's paintings are dominated by a monochrome color scheme built on shades and coloristic nuances, where light plays a key role. The artist's mastery lies in the perfection of his compositional approach, tonal structure, and the brilliant depth and laconicism of his images. From 1974 to 1977 he studied at courses at the Leningrad Higher Art and Industrial School named after V. I. Mukhina and at the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after I. E. Repin. In 1977 he graduated from the Geological Faculty of Leningrad State University. Since 1975 he has participated in unofficial apartment exhibitions. Since 1981 he has been a member of the Experimental Fine Art Society. In 1985 he became one of the founders of the Mitki group, but left the group in 2008. Since 1990 he has been one of the founders of the Mitkilibris publishing house. Since 1995 he has been one of the founders of the Krasny Matros publishing house. Since 1991 he has been a member of the International Federation of Artists. Since 1993 he has been a member of the St. Petersburg A-Ya Society, and since 1994 he has been a member of the Union of Artists of Russia. In 2007, the artist won the inaugural "Art Awards. Artist of the Year – 2006" for his achievements in the visual arts. In 2008, he received the Joseph Brodsky Prize. His works are in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK), and the Jane Vorhees Zimmerli Art Museum (New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA). He lives and works in St. Petersburg.