Akulin

Danja Akulin (Даня Акулин) (born 1977) rose to prominence by creating large format pencil drawings that reinstate this genre's autonomous value. Born and raised in Leningrad (St.Petersburg), Russia, lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Attended bachelor and master studies in Fine Arts, at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) and studied under the supervision of Georg Baselitz and Daniel Richter. Georg Baselitz says of the artist "Danja Akulin creates conceptual drawings, which he calls 'aesthetically minimalist'. Since they come from St. Petersburg, they look different from equally conceptual art by Californian artist Ed Ruscha, for example. After looking at his pictures, it is particularly exciting to see with your own eyes how many watts are used to light a stairwell in St. Petersburg. This is what good drawings look like." For most of his works, Danja Akulin relies on materials such as graphite, charcoal and pencil. When it comes to his large-sized canvas works, he varies the thickness and fineness of the lines to create a fusion and dissolution of contours. In the same way most painters relate to colors, Akulin uses the texture of his drawings as his artistic means of expression. Over the years, he developed a technique of mounting paper onto canvas, allowing his drawings to be stretched like paintings. This approach, which he has described as the result of a long process of technical refinement, enables his works to be displayed without glass and emphasizes their material qualities. Akulin was awarded the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Scholarship. Art Council of the German Bundestag chaired by the President of the Bundestag made a decision to include Akulin's artwork to The Bundestag's art collection. " Danja Akulin is also noted for creating several artist's books. Between 2007 and 2022 he produced artist's books: “Penumbra”. Charcoal and graphite drawings from 2010 to 2022. Munich, Gallery and publishing house J.J. Heckenhauer, 2022 “Penumbra”. London, Erarta Galleries, 2012 “Signs”. Moscow, Triumph Gallery, 2007 “Survival craft”. Moscow, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, 2007

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