Surf, 2021

Igor Volkov-Tkachinskiy  

“Surf” is an intimate and evocative work rooted in the personal experience of friendship and journey. The painting was created as a gift for the artist’s closest friend, whom Igor met during a meaningful period of time on Bali — a place of creative exchange, shared surf sessions, and mutual inspiration. The composition reflects the fluid energy of water and movement, capturing both the physical and emotional rhythm of those shared moments.

Although this work was intended as a personal present, circumstances brought by the war changed its course. The friend had to leave the region and relocate abroad, and as a result, the painting remained in the artist’s studio. It carries with it not only the memory of their connection but also the complex interplay between presence, absence, and continuity.

“Surf” embodies a tender blend of movement, gesture, and reflection — a visual trace of a relationship formed through experience and displacement. The surface becomes a field of emotional resonance, where memory and creative expression converge, inviting the viewer to engage not only with color and form but with the human story embedded within the work.