Igor Skaletsky does have what it takes to be a collage master. Born in 1978 in Russia, this freelance illustrator has travelled in the hot spots of contemporary art, including Israel and Germany, to find his own visual identity. The result of this initiatory trip is a unique technique, combining digital photomontage with acrylic paint and varnish.
Skaletsky’s pleasure is to collide Early Netherlandish painters and Italian Renaissance masters with trendy supermodels and icons of the tattoo culture, such as Zombie Boy. He denudes the characters of famous paintings to reveal their tattooed bodies, flirting with irreverence and even blasphemy.
His creations, dark and cold, are a fascinating combination of laidback lowbrow art and hieratic highbrow masterpieces : the Russian artist has made the choice of the everything or nothing, emulating both David Lachapelle and Hieronymus Bosch in their ironical way of connecting morbid and trash with sacred and luxury.
Fine Art gods and heroes are making an incursion in the world of Haute Couture and swag, while pop culture “it” girls and boys are bringing their bondage accessories and sensuality to the museums. A real modern religious iconography, displaying saints and sinners, écorchés and fashion animals. The kind of universe where art lovers wish to do a pilgrimage.
