A collage of two photographs and a text description about Vladimir Kordiukov. The first photograph, from 1977, shows a man with curly hair and glasses, smiling with his hand behind his head. The second photograph, from 1999, shows a man with curly hair and glasses standing in an art gallery next to sculptures and artwork. The text provides a biography of Vladimir Kordiukov, describing him as a Soviet interdisciplinary artist, jewelry designer, painter, graphic artist, and sculptor.
Book cover titled 'Paper Positions. Berlin' by Vladimir Kordiukov, 1953-2009, describes him as a Soviet interdisciplinary artist, jewelry designer, painter, graphic artist, and sculptor.
A gallery page featuring two photos of artists in Vologda, Russia, with text about Kordikov's art legacy. The left photo shows an artist painting in a studio, and the right photo shows another artist standing in front of artwork and sculpture in a workshop.

Vladimir Kordiukov’s Collages at Paper Positions Berlin

In the late 1990s, Kordiukov explored paper as both a visual and material language — hand-toned, torn, layered. The works presented at the fair — The Black Vase, Abstract Form with Red and Blue, Yellow Still Life — merge still life with formal precision and painterly tactility.

These pieces are grounded in the local context of Soviet material formalism while also engaging in a broader dialogue with the global collage tradition — from Kurt Schwitters to Anne Ryan.

Abstract collage artwork of a black vase with flowers in shades of red, yellow, and gold, against a blue background, created from torn paper.
A collage of a still life painting with a yellow background, depicting a green vase, a pear, a branch with leaves, and scattered fruit, created by Vladimir Kordyukov in 1997.
Abstract collage artwork with torn paper pieces in red, blue, beige, black, and gray on a black background.
A book cover with text and a painting. The text reads "paper positions. berlin" at the top, followed by the name Vladimir Kordiuikov (1953-2009), and details of a painting titled "My Poetry," created in 2004, a pastel on paper measuring 47 x 61 cm. The painting depicts abstract, colorful, swirling shapes and patterns with a human figure resting on a blue surface, with a chaotic and expressive style.
Book cover titled 'Paper Positions. Berlin' by Vladimir Kordukov, featuring a pastel painting of a still life with a vase of flowers, fruits, and hands holding a pineapple, with descriptive text about the artwork.
Cover of an art catalog featuring a pastel painting titled "Postmodern Sunflowers" by Vladimir Kordukov, created in 2004, showing abstract sunflower flowers in a vase. The catalog is dated May 2023.

Vladimir Kordiukov at Paper Positions Berlin – The Pastel Series, 2004

Another key part of the presentation is Kordiukov’s 2004 pastel series — expansive still lifes where large, saturated planes serve as stages for flowers, bodies, and symbolic forms. Working with wet pastel over hand-toned paper, the artist integrates subtle elements of assemblage, building textured, tactile surfaces that verge on relief.

In Still Life, My Poetry, and Postmodern Sunflowers, Kordiukov explores the themes of table, gesture, and organic structure through powerful strokes and dense chromatic layers — with blue often playing a central spatial role. These works read as pictorial frescoes, with surface treated not as background but as a physical presence.

Rooted in the late-Soviet painterly tradition, the series also enters into a global dialogue — between material painting, expressive abstraction, and the language of sacred objecthood.

The Angel Series (1999)

Executed in pastel on paper, the Angel Series represents Kordiukov’s most iconic and emotionally resonant works. These figurative compositions depict angelic characters in intimate, contemplative scenes. Built on bold chromatic pairings, often grounded in rich blue backgrounds, the works balance spiritual presence with domestic narrative. The series engages both local visual traditions (such as Orthodox iconography) and the broader modernist dialogue of 20th-century figurative abstraction.

Featured works:
Angels Hug in Kandinsky-style, Mysterious Angels, My Angels, Loving Angels

Image of a pastel artwork titled 'Angels Hug in Kandinsky-style' by Vladimir Kordiukov. It features abstract shapes and figures in vibrant colors, reminiscent of Kandinsky's style.
An abstract pastel painting depicting three human figures with simplified features and bold colors, including orange, yellow, blue, green, and black, on a paper background. The figures have exaggerated shapes and minimal facial details, set against an orange background.
A pastel painting of two abstract, humanoid figures with elongated bodies and flame-like heads, one green and one red, set against a blue background with small yellow dots.
Black and white abstract artwork of two women with textured lines, titled 'Girl & Texture' by Vladimir Kordiukov, created in 2008 with coal on paper.
A black and white abstract artwork titled 'Girl & Texture' by Vladimir Kordiukov, created in 2008 with coal on paper, measuring 60 by 40 centimeters. The image features textured, layered, and gestural strokes.
Black and white art piece titled "Girl & Texture," created with coal on paper by Vladimir Kordukov. Features a stylized girl with intricate textures and patterns surrounding her.