Overview

Oleg Kulik was born in 1961 in Kyiv. In 1982, he graduated from the College of Geological-Exploration Technologies, and in 1986, after military service, he moved to Moscow. Until the early 1990s, Kulik worked on transparent plexiglass art objects. In 1990, he became an 'exhibitor' of the OVCHARENKO gallery (until 2018 — Regina). Kulik curated such exhibitions as 'Self-standing Art', where paintings by Oleg Golosiy were carried on wheels around the hall, 'First-hand Art,' where soldiers held pieces from the collection of Vladimir Ovcharenko, and many others. One of the first performances by Oleg Kulik took place at the gallery in 1992. A Butcher slaughtered a pig in the exhibition hall, then gave the meat away to the visitors. In 1994, Kulik performed as a dog for the first time. The performance was soon showcased at the Kunsthalle in Zurich, Rotterdam (at the Manifesta 1). During this period, he created the photo series 'Zophrenia' (1998), 'Museum of Nature or a New Paradise' (2001), 'Russian' (1999). All of them featured the fictional character of a naked man. Kulik continued to work with the theme of transparency in the series 'Slogans,' which he presented at the gallery in 2003. In 2002, the Zoological Museum in Moscow exhibited "stuffed" people by Kulik for the first time. Sculptures represented three symbols of Russia: a tennis player, an actress, and an astronaut. After a trip to Mongolia in 2003, the artist got fascinated with Buddhism. Following his interest in spiritual practices, Kulik curated the 'I Believe' exhibition, where the artists suggested their expanded interpretations of  "irrational," "sacred," and "intuitive." And in 2013, this time as an artist, Kulik continued this theme in his solo project 'Frames' (OVCHARENKO). Nowadays, Oleg Kulik works mainly with painting and sculpture (exhibitions 'Our Mother,' 2018; 'The End,'  2020).

Works
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions:

2020
Oleg Kulik. The End. Vladey Space. Moscow, Russia.

 

2019
Irresponsible Painting. GUM-Red-Line. Moscow, Russia.
Golden Fleece. MMC Kibla. Maribor, Slovenia.

 

2018
Our Mother. Szena Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

2013
Frames. Regina Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

2012
Deep into Russia. Regina Gallery. London, UK.

 

2011
Composition 911. Multimedia Art Museum. Moscow, Russia.
The Solo Show. The Mironova Gallery. Kiev, Ukraine.
Vespers of the Blessed Virgin. 54th Venice Biennale. Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Venice, Italy.
Messiah / Handel. Stage director, costume and stage designer. Théâtre du Châtelet. Paris, France.

 

2010
Deep into Russia. Galleria Pack. Milan, Italy.

 

2009
Moscow. TSUM. Spatial Liturgy N3. TSUM. Moscow, Russia.
Vespro della Beata Vergine, 1610. Stage director. Théâtre du Châtelet. Paris, France.

 

2008
New Sermon. Photos and Videos of performances 1993–2003. Rabouan-Moussion Gallery. Paris, France.

 

2007
Oleg Kulik. Chronicle. 1987–2007. Central House of Artists. Moscow, Russia.

 

2005
Gobi Test. XL Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

2004
Fragments. Exhibition within the framework of Photobiennale 2004. Tsereteli Art Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

2003
Losung. Regina Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
Oleg Kulik. ЛОЗУНГ — LOSUNG — SLOGAN — MESSAGE. The State Russian Museum. Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Cosmonaut, one-day show. The State Museum of Architecture. Moscow, Russia.

 

2002
Museum. XL Gallery. Moscow, Russia

 

2001

Architectural Extravagances. M. Guelman Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
Oleg Kulik Art Animal. Ikon Gallery. Birmingham, UK.
Deep into Russia. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst. Gent, Germany.

 

2000
Alice vs. Lolita. Rabouan-Moussion Gallery. Paris, France.

 

1999
The Russian. Regina Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

1998
Oleg Kulik. Rabouan-Moussion Gallery. Paris, France.

 

1995

The same and Skotinin. XL Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

My Family, or Nature Is Perfect. M. Guelman Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
End of History, or Kulik Visits the Emperors. XL Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

1994
I Love Gorby. M. Guelman Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

1989
Premonition of Non-Freedom. Palace of Youth. Moscow, Russia.

 

1988
Paradox as Method. Exhibition hall of the Sevastopolskiy district. Moscow, Russia.

 

Group exhibitions:

2021

Unnamable. Selected works from the collection of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. Arsenal Center of Contemporary Art. Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Soft Homeland. Ruarts Foundation. Moscow, Russia. 

Spring Auction 2021. Presale Exhibition. Vladey. Ekaterina Cultural Foundation. Moscow, Russia.
Dream Catchers. Ilona-K Artspace. Moscow, Russia.

 

2020
First-hand Art. A Collector’s View: Looking Back and Forward. OVCHARENKO. Moscow, Russia.
Contemporary Art from the Marat Guelman Collection. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

2019
One Family. GUM-Red-Line. Moscow, Russia.

 

2018
Art of the 2000s. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
New Slogans. HSE Art Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
Electric Russia. Victoria Gallery. Samara, Russia.

 

2016

Kollektsia ! Contemporary Art in the USSR and Russia. 1950-2000. Centre Georges Pompidou. Paris, France.   

Contemporary Art 1960­–2000. Reboot. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

2015
Pussy Riot and the Cossacks. Institut Supérieur des Beaux Arts de Besançon/Franche-Comté. Besançon, France.

 

2014
Post Pop: East Meets West. Saatchi Gallery. London, UK.
Precious Frame. The Picture and the Frame. Dialogues. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

GELITIN. DIE TUSOVKA RUNDE. Ground Solyanka. Moscow, Russia.
In Search of the Horizon. Latvian Railway History Museum. Riga, Latvia.
Transition and Transition. Josip Vaništa, Oleg Kulik, Blue Noses. Ludwig Museum. Budapest, Hungary.

 

2013
The Team I Can't Live Without. Regina Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
Artist in Society. Rabouan Moussion Gallery. Paris, France.
Lost in Translation. Collateral Event of the 55th Venice Biennale. Ca'Foscari Esposizion. Venice, Italy.

 

2012
FLUIDENTITETI. Podgorica Collection for the Ars Aevi Museum. Umjetnička galerija Bosne i Hercegovine. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In an Absolute Disorder. Russian Contemporary Art. Kandinsky Prize 2007­–2012. Arts Santa Monica. Barcelona, Spain.
La Peau de l’Ours. Rabouan Moussion Gallery. Paris, France.
The Best of Times, The Worst of Times. Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art. 1st Kyiv international Biennale of Contemporary Art ARSENALE 2012. Mystetskyi Arsenal. Kiev, Ukraine.

With Criminal Energy — Art and Crime in the 21st Century. HALLE 14. Leipzig, Germany.

 

2011
GLASSTRESS 2011. Collateral Event of the 54th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale. Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti — Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti; Berengo Centre for Contemporary Art and Glass; Wake Forest University, Casa Artom, Venice, Italy.
Russian Turbulence. Charles Riva Collection. Brussels, Belgium.
Surreal Versus Surrealism in Contemporary Art. Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno. Valencia, Spain.

 

2010
Doors Open Day. A Mansion – a Gymnasium – a Clinic – a Museum. Moscow Museum of Modern Art. Moscow, Russia.

 

2009
Subjective Visions / Works from the Stella Art Foundation Collection. Parallel program of II Thessaloniki Biennale. Thessaloniki Cultural Center. Thessaloniki, Greece.
Common History and Its Private Stories. Museum auf Abruf. Vienna, Austria.
History of Russian Video Art. Volume 2. Moscow Museum of Modern Art. Moscow, Russia.

 

2007
Sots Art. Political Art in Russia and China. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia
The Diary of an Artist. Special project of the II Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. Central House of Artists. Moscow, Russia.

 

2006
Reiz und Risiko. Museum Haus für Kunst Uri. Altdorf, Switzerland.
Origin of Species: Art in Epoch of Social Darwinism. The Museum of Modern Art. Toyama, Japan.
Video Installation by Oleg Kulik. Performances. Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle. Warsaw, Poland — CCA. Kiev, Ukraine; Ljubljana, Slovenia — The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia.

 

2005

RUSSIA! Guggenheim Museum. New York, USA.
RUSSIA! Guggenheim Museum. Bilbao, Spain.
Russia-2. Special project of the 1st Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. Central House of Artists. Moscow, Russia.
STARZ. Special project of the 1st Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art. Moscow, Russia.
Accomplices. Collective and Interactive Artworks in Russian Art of the 1960­–2000's. Special project of the 1st Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
Always a Little Further. 51th Venice Biennale. Arsenale. Venice, Italy.
Russian Pop-Art. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, Russia.
Angels of History. Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst. Antwerp, Belgium.

 

2004
NA KURORT! Russische Kunst Heute. Kunsthalle. Baden Baden, Germany.
«НА КУРОРТ!». Central Manege. Moscow, Russia.
Watch Out! Art from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Museet for Samtidskunst. Oslo, Norway.

 

2003
Berlin–Moskau. Berlin–Moskau. Martin Gropius Bau. Berlin, Germany.
Berlin–Moskau. Berlin–Moskau. The State Historical Museum. Moscow, Russia.
Horizons of Reality. Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst. Antwerp, Belgium.
Absolute Generation. 50th Venice Biennale. Palazzo Zenobio. Venice, Italy.
The Ideal City. II Bienal de Valencia. Valencia, Spain.

 

2002
Davaj! Russian Art Now. Aus dem Laboratorium der freien Künste in Russland. Postfuhramt. Berlin, Germany;

Russland. Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst. Vienna, Austria.
The Russian Patient. Freud Museum. London, UK.
IV Cetinje Biennale. National Museum of Montenegro. Cetinje, Montenegro.

 

2001
House and Windows. 49th Venice Biennale. Yugoslavian Pavilion. Venice, Italy.
The Body & Sin (Art is the Virtue of Communication). I Bienal de Valencia. Valencia, Spain.
Trans Sexual Express Barcelona. A Classic for the Third Millennium. Centre d'Art Santa Monica. Barcelona, Spain

 

2000
Performing Bodies. Tate Modern. London, UK.
Dynamic Couples. Central Manege. Moscow, Russia.
After the Wall. Art and Culture in post-Communist Europe. Hamburger Bahnhof. Berlin, Germany.
After the Wall. Art and Culture in post-Communist Europe. Ludwig Museum. Budapest, Hungary.
«Безумный двойник. Выставка смешного искусства». State Centre for Contemporary Art Arsenal. Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
Le fou dédoublé. L'idiotie comme stratégie contemporaine. Château d'Orion. Orion, France.

 

1999
After the Wall. Art and Culture in post-Communist Europe. Moderna Museet. Stockholm.
«Безумный двойник. Выставка смешного искусства». Regional Art Museum. Samara, Russia.
«Безумный двойник. Выставка смешного искусства». Museum of Fine Arts. Ekaterinburg, Russia.

 

1998
Another Reality. Within the framework of the Moscow International Month of Photography Photobiennale 98. Central Manege. Moscow, Russia.
Summer Exhibition. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst. Gent, Belgium.
XXIV San Paolo Biennale. São Paulo, Brazil.
Moscow Today / Moscou Vandaag. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst. Gent, Belgium.

 

1997
It's a Better World. Russischer Aktionismus und sein Kontext. Wiener Secession. Vienna, Austria.
III Cetinjski Bijenale. Museum of History and Arts. Cetinje, Montenegro.
V Istanbul International Biennale. Imper Mint. Istanbul, Turkey.

 

1996
De Rode Poort. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst. Gent, Belgium.

 

1995
No Man's Land. Contemporary Art Centre Nikolaj. Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

1990
Logics of Paradox. Palace of Youth. Moscow, Russia.

 

1989
Out of Genre. Palace of Youth. Moscow, Russia.

 

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:
  • Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
  • Tate Modern, London, UK.