Biography
Volodymyr Leonidovych Strelnykov (b. 1939, Odesa) is a painter and graphic artist.
1959–1960 – Studied at the Grekov Odesa Art School, but left before graduating to pursue new forms of painterly expression alongside Oleksandr Anufriiev.
1960s – Joined a group of young nonconformist artists; participated in “apartment exhibitions” in Odesa and beyond.
From 1963 – Participant in art exhibitions.
1979 – Participated in the unofficial exhibition Contemporary Art from Ukraine (Munich – London – Paris – New York). Persecuted by the authorities, he emigrated to Austria that same year and subsequently settled in Germany.
From the 1990s – Began returning to Ukraine for visits and projects.
1993 – Awarded First Prize in Painting at the 3rd IMPREZA–93 International Biennale in Ivano-Frankivsk.
1998 – Co-founded the Mamai artistic association.
Lives and works in Germany.
Strelnykov is a representative of the second wave of the Odesa avant-garde. In the early 1960s, he was one of the organizers and leaders of the Odesa nonconformist movement and a regular participant in underground “apartment” exhibitions. Art historian Tetyana Vasylenko writes: “Strelnykov began with landscape imagery (undoubtedly influenced by local traditions), celebrating the streets and everyday life of his native Moldavanka neighborhood. Naturally, there was no question of adopting a realistic method even then. The artist perceived painterly appeal in iconic signs of character and spirit. Over time, he completely abandoned narrative influences, any illusory qualities, and figurative specificity. This transition took place primarily in his graphics (which are exquisite and self-sufficient) and was reflected in a certain way in his painting.
Operating with ideas of minimalism, Strelnykov even created his own recurring motif—the theme of ‘strolls’—capturing a maximum of sensations through remarkably concise compositions. These featured flat silhouette figures with highly stylized contours set against color-neutral backgrounds. Strelnykov’s contemporary painting eventually acquired the full traits of minimalism toward which he had subconsciously always strived. His conditionally figurative elements, which first emerged in Odesa in his well-known ‘Strolls’ compositions, gradually transformed into abstraction. Furthermore, its geometric and linear forms became localized by absolute flatness. Their boundaries were now defined not so much by color itself as by its tonal adequacy. In this way, his painting achieved maximum non-objectivity, becoming a distinct visual symbol of form.”
