Artist Statement

My favourite artist Amedeo Modigliani once said: “What I look for is neither reality nor unreality but the subconscious, the instinctive mystery of the human race.” Another great artist, Edvard Munch wrote: “We want more than a mere photograph of nature. We want to create an art that arrests and engages, an art created of one’s innermost heart.” I feel very similar. My artwork includes oil paintings, ceramics and most recently oil and acrylic paintings on slate stones. My paintings are based on my original drawings. They are the first and very important stage in my artistic work. I have accumulated thousands of original drawings, and I draw new ones every day. Only carefully selected drawings are then used for my paintings and ceramic masks or statuettes. I like pure colours, and bold compositions of different, sometimes contradictory colours. For example, the combination of blue, purple, pink, and yellow is often seen in my paintings.

My artwork portrays faces and bodies, scenes from nature and architectural landscapes. But they don’t copy them. They are more likely to convey impressions, emotions, and aesthetics. The images created by me have never existed before. Through the harmony of lines, shapes, and colours they reveal a mystery of our spirit, imagination and fantasy and the beauty of our world. My artwork, probably, can be attributed to expressionism and surrealism. But I believe that it is unique and does not copy any artist or artistic direction. Please visit my Web Art Gallery to find numerous photos of my artwork: www.alexkalamkarov.com. Please have a closer look at my web Gallery on "Paintings on Stones" on my website. Since the beginning of 2021, I have created over 80 works of this kind, and I continue to be excited about this direction. These are slate stones from Nova Scotia Atlantic Ocean beaches created by nature during millions of years: by glaciers, ocean waves and winds. The shapes and reliefs on stones that I pick tell me their stories and inspire certain images that I am painting. Each of my works is unique as there are no identical stones in nature. These works are essentially 3D, and photos can give you only a very limited impression.
My artwork is also published in my Art Album “Mystery of Spirit” available for purchase at Amazon.

Biography

Alex Kalamkarov lives and works in Canada since 1992. He was born to Armenian parents in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia in Transcaucasia. Alexander moved to Moscow at sixteen years old and became a student at Moscow State University in the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. Simultaneously he studied fine art at the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow. In Moscow, Alex defended Ph.D. and Doctor of Sciences degrees and progressed all the way from Assistant to Full Professor teaching at the Engineering Faculty at the leading Moscow Technical University. Simultaneously he became a member of the Association of Graphic Artists and the Union of Artists of the Academy of Sciences, and he participated in numerous art shows of these Associations. In 1990, Alex became a member of the International Federation of Artists and participated in 1991 in a large Art Exhibition in the Moscow Central Exhibition Hall (Manezh).

In 1990, Alex was invited to work in Paris (France) at the École Central de Paris and he moved to Paris with his family. In 1992, he emigrated to Canada and lived in Toronto and worked at University of Toronto prior to moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1993, where he was offered a Faculty position at Dalhousie University. Since 1993, Alex traveled to many countries around the world. During his sabbatical leaves, he has taught at Universities in France, Italy, Germany, England, the United States, Australia, Japan, and Brazil.

All his life Alex was pursuing two parallel careers. He has been a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Dalhousie University since 1993 and Professor Emeritus since March 2022, and he is an internationally recognized scientist in applied mechanics, advanced composite materials, and smart structures, having published eight research books and over 350 papers. Simultaneously, Alex is an accomplished artist with many art shows. In Halifax, Alex showed his paintings at many art exhibitions at the Dalhousie University Art Gallery and the NSCAD Anna Leonowens Art Gallery. In October-November 2002 he had a large solo show in the Art Gallery at Pier 21 on Halifax Waterfront. This solo show was awarded a prestigious Nova Scotia Arts Council Grant. The show became a visual part of many very prestigious events at Pier 21, including the Governor General’s Awards.

Alex’s large solo retrospective Art Show will take place at the Archives Nova Scotia Chase Art Gallery in Halifax in March 2023. He will show over 200 works including his oil paintings, ceramics, and paintings on stones.
Alex will show his selected works at the London (UK) Art Biennale in July, and at the Art Fair Art3F in Paris (France) at Paris Expo Porte de Versaille in September 2023.