Valery Pchelin is a sculptor, designer, architect, and carpenter born in Kazakhstan and currently living in Krasnodar Krai in the south of Russia. He received his education in technical and art schools. Pchelin works with wood, creating sculptures, installations, designer objects, and land art. He is an expert on local types of wood in Russia, Germany, Switzerland, and Argentina.
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“Every piece of wood is my co-creator.
I have used wood in various combinations. I would take a solid piece of wood and remove what was unnecessary, or join multiple fragments together, much like shipbuilders join the planks of a ship’s hull – using frames, accounting for the physical properties of the various types of wood, and figuring out the weight distribution system, tension, and pressure.”
Valery Pchelin
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The method of joining – constructing the form using either woodworking or carpentry techniques – has over time become fundamental in Pchelin’s art. The monochrome objects he calls Drifters epitomize his signature style today, and are the result of the advances Pchelin has made in this method.
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In maritime jargon, a “drifter” is a fishing boat or a sail, while everyday use refers to constantly moving from place to place. So it seems the association with shipbuilding is not random. The layered architecture of Pchelin’s Drifters, made from Oriental beech, recalls rock formations where millennia-old compressed strata are interspersed with wind-blown hollow erosions, while their silhouettes bring to mind primeval, long-extinct plants. One might equally justifiably see in these Drifters bizarre, disturbing, horror-film aliens that give rise to feelings of intense apprehension. In the eyes of their creator, however, these emotions define life itself.
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Valery PchelinBULL BLACK • БЫК ЧЁРНЫЙ, 2019Maple, juniper, Caucasian beech, tinting, oil, wax
Клен, можжевельник, кавказский бук, тонировка, масло, воск
96 x 165 x 65 cm
37 3/4 x 65 x 25 5/8 in
Weight: 49.9 kg€ 8,400.00 -
Valery PchelinDRIFTER 03 • ДРИФТЕР 03, 2018Walnut, black tinting, oil, wax
Грецкий орех, черная тонировка, масло, воск45 x 35 x 18 cm
17 3/4 x 13 3/4 x 7 1/8 in
Weight: 7,6 kg₽ 360,000.00 -
Valery PchelinDRIFTER 07 • ДРИФТЕР 07, 2018Caucasian beech, black tinted, oil, wax.
Кавказский бук, чёрная тонировка, масло, воск52 x 125 x 30 cm
20 1/2 x 49 1/4 x 11 3/4 inSold
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Valery PchelinDRIFTER 06 • ДРИФТЕР 06, 2018Oriental beech, black tinting, oil
Кавказский бук, черная тонировка, масло, воск42 x 23 x 26 cm
16 1/2 x 9 1/8 x 10 1/4 in
Weight: 4,6 kg₽ 500,000.00 -
Valery PchelinDRIFTER 09 • ДРИФТЕР 09, 2018Oriental beech, black tinting, oil, wax
Кавказский бук, черная тонировка, масло, воск79 x 43 x 25 cm
31 1/8 x 16 7/8 x 9 7/8 in
Weight: 5.1 kg€ 5,800.00 -
Valery PchelinGREAT DRIFTER • БОЛЬШОЙ ДРИФТЕР, 2018Pine, polychromia, oil, wax
Сосна, полихромия, масло, воск60 x 305 x 60 cm
23 5/8 x 120 1/8 x 23 5/8 in€ 36,000.00
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Valery PchelinSTRANGER • НЕЗНАКОМЕЦ, 2017Caucasian beech, black tinting, red enamel, oil, wax
Кавказский бук, черная тонировка, красная эмаль, масло, воск65 x 200 x 60 cm
25 5/8 x 78 3/4 x 23 5/8 in€ 14,000.00 -
Valery PchelinDRIFTER 04 • ДРИФТЕР 04, 2018Caucasian beech, black tinted, oil, wax.
Кавказский бук, чёрная тонировка, масло, воск71 x 50 x 48 cm
28 x 19 3/4 x 18 7/8 in
Weight: 17,5 kg₽ 880,000.00
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When explaining the mythology behind his brainchild, Valery Pchelin refers to these Drifters as wandering travellers: “Everyone drifts along their path in life. We drift along, accepting some things, rejecting others, and from this our story is built.”
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Born ten years ago on the idea level, today these Drifters, with their unlimited variation in shape, have grown into an independent class of object. Drifter-like pieces are perfectly capable of being scaled up in size, and in time will surely grow to monumental dimensions, capable of containing people within and allowing them to pass through.
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Valery Pchelin likes to work while listening to minimalist music of the 20th century such as Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt, or to Benjamin Britten. He often listens to modern meditative Japanese music as well, interesting for its associative flow. He enjoys Glass’ tiers of sound, which mirror the wood – the repeating black phrases that comprise his Drifters.
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Valery Pchelin
VALERY PCHELIN IS A SCULPTOR, DESIGNER, ARCHITECT, AND CARPENTER BORN IN KAZAKHSTAN IN 1962 AND CURRENTLY LIVING IN KRASNODAR KRAI IN THE SOUTH OF RUSSIA. PCHELIN WORKS WITH WOOD, CREATING SCULPTURES, INSTALLATIONS, DESIGNER OBJECTS, AND LAND ART. HE IS AN EXPERT ON THE WOOD TYPES NATIVE TO RUSSIA, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, AND ARGENTINA.
Valery Pchelin (1962) is a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and the International Association of Fine Arts (AIAP UNESCO). From 1997 to 1999 he created monumental and decorative projects for the Municipality of Pinamar and the Bishopric of the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina). His works can be found in the collections of the State Russian Museum, the F.A. Kovalenko Krasnodar Regional Art Museum, and in private collections in Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, Sweden, and Austria.
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Artist's workshop
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More about Valery Pchelin
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Valery Pchelin. Cossacks
History of the people and family 16 February - 9 March 2021 Как история казачества и трагическая судьба деда привели Валерия Пчелина к созданию дрифтеров -
Valery Pchelin. Craftsmanship
16 February - 9 March 2021 Как Валерий Пчелин делает своих дрифтеров -
Valery Pchelin. The Meaning Of The Drifters
16 February - 9 March 2021 Объекты Валерия Пчелина, дрифтеры, несут собственные смыслы и раскрывают внутренний мир наблюдателя
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