Slava Fokk was born into a family of artists in 1976 in the south of Russia, in the city of Krasnodar. Since his childhood, he has been surrounded by a creative atmosphere – art workshops, studios and creative summer residences.
In 1997 Fokk completed his training in the Krasnodar Art School, also known as the Repin. Slava Fokk graduated with high honor. He was declared to be one of the brightest graduates of his class, named in the top ten of his graduating class.
Some years after graduating, Fokk reflected on his artistic path and decided to move to Moscow. In Fokk’s words, “I felt that the atmosphere where I was living was pressing on me. It seems to me that everyone at some point in time needs to leave…to live somewhere else, far away. As a native of Krasnodar, I knew that I would have to work to adapt to another city, another culture. I knew that it would be very useful.”
As spoken in ancient Greece: “Only when you come back and realize that nothing has changed do you realize how much you yourself have changed.”
Slava Fokk now lives and works in Moscow. There, he is exposed to the “old” Russia, a combination of bourgeois and art. He finds that he is very productive in Moscow.
“The greatest challenge an artist faces is to adequately channel his first bursts of creative energy. It is necessary to constantly work at improving one’s skills in order to effectively tackle this challenge.” – Slava Fokk - “I combine these practically obsolete concepts with modern decorative themes. In the present body of work, I wanted to create a slightly nostalgic atmosphere.”
His main focus is art of the “northern revival.” He is attracted to the oil paintings of the Netherlands schools. These provide a soft light and shadow with a sometimes internal light that seems to envelop the subjects and figures.
