Danja Akulin

Danja Akulin (Даня Акулин) (born 1977) is a Russian visual artist. He rose to prominence by creating large format pencil drawings that reinstate this genre's autonomous value.

Born and raised in Leningrad (St.Petersburg), Russia, he lives and works in Berlin, Germany. He attended bachelor and master studies in Fine Arts, at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) and studied under the supervision of Georg Baselitz and Daniel Richter.

Georg Baselitz says of the artist "Danja Akulin creates conceptual drawings, which he calls 'aesthetically minimalist'. Since they come from St. Petersburg, they look different from equally conceptual art by Californian artist Ed Ruscha, for example. After looking at his pictures, it is particularly exciting to see with your own eyes how many watts are used to light a stairwell in St. Petersburg. This is what good drawings look like."

For most of his works, Danja Akulin relies on materials such as graphite, charcoal and pencil. When it comes to his large-sized canvas works, he varies the thickness and fineness of the lines to create a fusion and dissolution of contours. In the same way most painters relate to colors, Akulin uses the texture of his drawings as his artistic means of expression.

Over the years, he developed a technique of mounting paper onto canvas, allowing his drawings to be stretched like paintings. This approach, which he has described as the result of a long process of technical refinement, enables his works to be displayed without glass and emphasizes their material qualities.

Akulin was awarded the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Scholarship.

Art Council of the German Bundestag chaired by the President of the Bundestag made a decision to include Akulin's artwork to The Bundestag's art collection. "

Akulin is also noted for creating several artist's books. Between 2007 and 2022 he produced artist's books:

"Penumbra". Charcoal and graphite drawings from 2010 to 2022. Munich, Gallery and publishing house J.J. Heckenhauer, 2022 "Penumbra". London, Erarta Galleries, 2012 "Signs". Moscow, Triumph Gallery, 2007 "Survival craft". Moscow, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, 2007

Work

Penumbra

The word penumbra is often rendered "half-light." The Latin origin paene umbra literally means almost shadow. In between the shadow and the light there is a zone through which we may see what is in the penumbra, but we see it with this darkened hue, and it is problematic to say whether it is illuminated or not. In "Penumbra" series the light is radiated on to what is but a partially illuminated landscape. Through this light, emotions and thoughts within the duality of darkness and brightness are visually translated. The truth exists in the "in-between" area, the penumbra.

Signs

The Signs series combines detailed external drawing with more introspective elemnts. It incorporates motifs referred to as segno di Dio and uses symbol drawn from contemporary visual culture, including electronic displays, official emblems and elements of urban and domestic graphic design. In these works, such symbols are interpreted and presented with renewed emphasis.

Simple Things

In "Simple Things" series the focus of attention is on the graphic structure of objects, transposing them to the planning stage, to the sketching stage, and presupposes meditation by the observers. Behind extensive line movements of the pencil, behind concentrations and dilutions of light and shade – associations, sometimes free, sometimes programmed, are revealed layer by layer. The works in these series intend, albeit only to a certain extent, to liberate symbols from their binding meaning, to make them part of the history of drawing.

Exhibitions

Since 2002 his works were exhibited in numerous galleries and museums throughout Europe and the US, including the German Bundestag (Germany), Bröhan Museum Berlin (Germany), Poll Gallery Berlin (Germany), Mimi Ferzt Gallery NYC (USA), Erarta Gallery London (UK) and Fano Art Museum (Denmark). Akulin' art is also on display in Russia. Among others, his works are exhibited at the Triumph Gallery, the Moscow Center of Art, St. Petersburg Rizzordi Art Foundation and Perm Biennial of Graphic Art.

Solo exhibitions

2023, "Kontrastreich", Poll Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2023, "Lightscapes", In-Gate Gallery, Brussels, Belgium 2023, "In Darkness Let Me Dwell", Bark Berlin Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2022, "Between the Lines", In-Gate Gallery, Brussels, Belgium 2022, "Between the Lines", Artbrige Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2021, "Penumbra", new works, J.J. Heckenhauer Gallery, Munich, Germany 2020, "Rock hard sea", Bark Berlin Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2020, Art on Paper, with Elipsis Art, New York, NY, USA 2019, "Penumbra", Erarta Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia 2018, Art on Paper, Contemporary Drawing Fair, Gallery J.J. Heckenhauer, Brussels, Belgium 2018, Gallery J.J. Heckenhauer, Munich, Germany 2014, Gallery J.J. Heckenhauer, Munich, Germany 2014, "Landscapes", Poll Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2013, art KARLSRUHE, One-Artist-Show, Poll Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2013, "Charcoal on Canvas", Mimi Ferzt Gallery, New York, USA 2012, "Crepusculum", TS Art Projects, Berlin, Germany 2012, "Penumbra", Erarta Gallery, London, UK (catalog) 2011, "Landscapes", Gallery J.J. Heckenhauer, Brussels, Belgium 2010, "V.I.P.R.I.P.", Michael Schultz Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2008, Mimi Fertz Gallery, New York, USA 2007, "Signs", Triumph Gallery, Moscow, Russia (catalog) 2007, "Survival Craft", Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Russia (catalog) 2004 Gallery "Borkowski", Hannover, Germany (catalog) 2002 Gallery "Bellevue", Berlin, Germany

Group exhibitions

2023, "The end of painting", Bröhan Museum, Berlin Germany 2022, "Salon Nr. 4", Christine Knauber Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2020, 50/50: The Matter of Duality, Paul-Fleischmann-Haus, Berlin, Germany 2019, "Preparing for Darkness vol. 4: True Romance", Kühlhaus, Berlin, Germany 2019, "erinnern-treümen-zeichnen", Poll Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2018, "A Sign of Nature", W Gallery, Osnabrück, Germany 2018, Kunst und Filmbiennale Worpswede 2018, Worpswede, Germany 2018, "Shadow", Thielbeer.Art & Holger Kuhn Fine Arts, Berlin, Germany 2018, "Preparing for Darkness", Kühlhaus, Berlin, Germany 2018, "Salon Nr. 2", Christine Knauber Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2017, Salon der Gegenwart, Hamburg, Germany (catalog) 2017, "This is The Sea", Fanø Kunstmuseum, Denmark (catalog) 2016, "Salon No. 1", Galerie Christine Knauber, Berlin, Germany 2016, "Under Cover", Artdocks Gallery, Bremen, Germany 2015, "Playing Pool With a Rope", Metropol Park, Berlin, Germany 2015, "Neu Gold", Dortmunder U, Dortmund, Germany 2014, "Strictness and Beauty", Ural Vision Gallery, Yekaterinburg, Russia 2014, 6. Biennale der Zeichnung, Kunstverein Eislingen, Germany 2012, "Auf der ewigen Reise", E.ON AG, Düsseldorf, Germany (catalog) 2012, "With Pencil and Crayon", Poll Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2011, "(Moving) Identities", Gallery JJ Heckenhauer, Tübingen, Germany 2011, "Monte Verità", Kunstverein Familie Montez, Frankfurt a. M. / Germany 2011, "Expression Beyond", Rizzordi Art Foundation, St. Petersburg, Russia 2010, Boomerang, Perm Biennial of Graphic Arts, Perm Museum of Contemporary Art, Russia 2010, ART.FAIR 21, MESSE FÜR AKTUELLE KUNST, Michael Schultz Gallery, Köln, Germany 2010, Munich Contempo, Michael Schultz Gallery, Munich, Germany 2010, Art Paris, Michael Schultz Gallery, Paris, France 2009, Mimi Fertz Gallery, New York, USA 2007, Sputnik. New Painting from Berlin, Gallery Claudius, Hamburg, Germany 2005, Nord Art 2005, Rendsburg, Germany 2005, Art Frankfurt, Subjective Obsessions, special show of the Gallery Michael Schultz, Frankfurt, Germany (catalog) 2004, KPM - Offenhallen, Berlin 2004, "Identity in the Digital Era", Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (catalog) 2004, Kunstverein, Uelzen, Germany 2004, Gallery Apex, Göttingen, Germany 2003, Horst-Janssen-Museum, Oldenburg, Germany (catalog) 2003, Gallery Annelie Grimm-Beickert, Bamberg, Germany 2003, Gallery Helmut Leger, Munich, Germany 2003, "Insights", The Baselitz Class, Gallere Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany (catalog) 2002, Art Summer 2002. Kunstverein, Oberhausen, Germany