Sergey Kononov surrounded by his paintings (l.), At the coffee shop, Sergey Kononov, oil on canvas, 69×69 cm, 2021 (r.)
Virtuoso painter represented by the Lazarew gallery (which launched his career), Ukrainian artist Sergey Kononov finds himself trapped in the war launched by Putin against his native country. A few days before the outbreak of the Russian offensive, the painter flew to Odessa.
“Sergey planned to settle down for a few weeks in the Black Sea port, where he was born in 1994, in order to prepare for his next exhibition, scheduled in New York at the end of March,” says gallery owner Alexandre Lazarew, who introduced him to elsewhere accompanied to Roissy airport on Sunday February 20.
Four days later, the war surprised Kononov in Odessa. “Like many of his compatriots whose heroism astounds the world, Sergey, whom we have spoken on the phone since, did not hesitate to join the resistance,” explains gallery owner Laura de Pontchara, who is associated with Lazarew .
Painting will wait because the time has come to defend the values of democracy. “He who was unable to complete his military service because he was then at the Beaux-Arts in Paris finds himself today on the front! “, she continues.
“We hope that this war will last as short as possible, we are impatiently awaiting Sergey's return,” adds Alexandre Lazarew about Kononov whom he discovered when the artist had just arrived in Paris, at the age of 19 years.
Since then, the Ukrainian painter has been one of the “foals” of the gallery on rue du Perche, where Le Marais Mood met him in 2016, was captivated by his work and devoted a video.
Lazarew Gallery
14, rue du Perche, 75003 Paris
From Tuesday to Saturday
14AM - 19PM
Closed Monday and Sunday
Tel: +01 44 61 28 73
Text: Katia Barillot
20.03.22
