San Francisco, USA

http://tedvasin.com
“In 2001, I licked a frog. After that I flew through the tunnel and had all kinds of transformations. Upon landing I realized that it was over with machines and I had a bright future ahead.” * (Ted Vasin)

The works by Russian-born US-based artist Ted Vasin are records of experiences through the psychological lens of the artist. The mediums he uses range from painting and drawing to sound and digital animations to text. His favorite media however is other people’s mind.

Vasin’s work is the extension of a thought – the visualization of the silent, flat image in his mind. He compares the action of painting to the creation of dreams and Vasin’s are that of a madman. The viewer is confronted with the artist’s inner world while standing in front of his work – almost like stepping into someone else’s dream or nightmare.

Rather than creating a message with his work, Vasin disrupts linear thought allowing for the viewer to get lost in front of it.

The painted dream permits the entrance of creatures and scenes that were never seen before – visions that do not match with previous real-life experiences. His alien portraiture is equally disturbing by use of an array of unconventional mediums for color, such as metallic acrylic, mica, and holographic glitter. The bright graphite works are as overwhelming in concept as they are in scale.

The surreal imagery in the work makes one want to take a second look. While searching for the familiar aspects that would make the work understandable or able to be interpreted, instead one discovers the minute details and refined techniques while observing the contrast of the pencil sketch with the vibrant abstract forms and organic painted shapes that incite disorientation.

Vasin’s tight representational drawing skills keep the viewer in awe of his draftsmanship yet disturbed by his subject matter.
“I’m staying in. Fuck off, artistically speaking. I build and/or destroy things that please me, like a puzzle, a Lego. I am never fucking done.” ** (Ted Vasin)



* Interview by Meisy Cheong, Acclaim Magazine, October 2010
** An Interview With Ted Vasin by Kendrick Daye, Art Nouveau, September 2009



place & year of birth
1966, Moscow, Russia

featured galleries
LIMN Art Gallery

education
1986


Moscow Art College, Moscow, Russia


solo exhibitions
2008


'Non-Local Cues', Tarryn Teresa Gallery, Santa Monica, USA


'Paintings and Sound', Davis Art Center, Davis, USA


'Paintings and Sound', Limn Art Gallery, San Francisco, USA

2005


'Mathematical Perfection', Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, USA



2003


'Ted Vasin, Artitst In Residence', California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, USA



2002


'Ted Vasin, Artitst In Residence', De Young Art Center, San Francisco, USA
'Ted Vasin, Artitst In Residence', California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, USA


'Overpass', Suarez Gallery, San Francisco, USA

1996

'To the Light', Bauhaus Gallery, San Francisco, USA

group exhibitions
2011


“Emerge…” 101/exhibit, Miami, USA 



2010


SCOPE Miami, 101/exhibit, Miami, FL 

Group Show, 101/exhibit, Miami, USA 


LIMN Art Gallery, San Francisco, USA 



2009


'Bay Area Annual', Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, USA



2007


'Summer Group Show', Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, USA


Los Angeles Art Show, Frey Norris Gallery, Los Angeles, USA



2006


Art LA, Frey Norris Gallery, Los Angeles, USA


'Summer Group Show', Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, USA




2005


'Bay Area Annual', Pacifica Center for the Arts, Pacifica, USA

'Summer Group Show', Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, USA




2004


'Summer Group Show', Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, USA


AAF Contemporary Art Fair, Frey Norris Gallery, New York, USA



2003


'New Introductions', Frey Norris Gallery, San Francisco, USA



2002


'International Young Art 2002', ArtLink@Sotheby's, Sotheby's Tel Aviv, Israel


'International Young Art 2002', ArtLink@Sotheby's, Sotheby's Amsterdam, Netherlands

'
International Young Art 2002', ArtLink@Sotheby's, Elisabeth Foundation Center, New York, USA



2001


'2001: An Art Odyssey', Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco, USA


'Autumn Salon', Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco, USA



2000


'Summer Show', Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, USA



1999


'Grand Opening Exhibition', Studio Gallery, Los Angeles, USA



1998


Stanford Art Spaces, Stanford, USA

bibliography
2011

Johny Screams, 'Brain Storm in Acrylics, amplified sound effects in the paintings', Kulturologia.ru, February 2011

2010

Rooms Magazine, #03, December 2010
Six Years Later, Issue One, December 2010
New American Paintings, Volume 91, December 2010
Christopher, 'Work of Ted Vasin', Art Fucks Me, December 2010
Rucha, 'Who Is Ted Vasin', My Street, December 2010
Alex, 'Ted Vasin', It's Nice That, December 2010
Sophia Chen, 'ART: Ted Vasin', Sick of the Radio, October 2010
Meisy Cheong, 'Ted Vasin | Get Lost', Featured Interview ACCLAIM Magazine, October 2010
Julie, 'Ted Vasin', Beautiful/Decay, October 2010
Wylo, 'Ted Vasin Paintings', Cool Material, September 2010
Armida, 'Intense Art Composites - Painter Ted Vasin's Works are Undeniably Surreal ', Trend Hunter, September 2010
'The Latest from Ted Vasin' in Juxtapoz, September 2010
'Ted Vasin: Fresh for 2010' in Juxtapoz, May 2010
Ken, 'The Art of Ted Vasin' in Hi-Fructose, April 2010

2009
Kendrick Daye, 'Circles: An Interview With Ted Vasin' in Art Nouveau Magazine, September 2009
'Ted Vasin: Non-Local Cues' on Integral Naked, September 2009
Seth Curcio, 'Ted Vasin' in Daily Serving, May 2009
Dormain Geyer, 'Ted Vasin Interview' in Arteaser, April 2009

2008


Katie Barnes, 'The Sound of Art - 'Non-Local Cues' Make Sense in Local Gallery' in LAsThePlace, September 2008
'Ted Vasin: Non-Local Cues at Tarryn Teresa Gallery' in Russian Life magazine, August 2008
'Ted Vasin Solo Exhibit' in Beautiful Decay, September 2008
'Ted Vasin at LIMN Gallery', Sound Performance Video in Art Ltd. Magazine, September 2008
Aimee C. Reed, 'Ted Vasin at LIMN Gallery' in ArtWeek, September 2008
Nicole Docimo, 'Alternate Realities' in The Davis Enterprize, July 2008
Jackson Yan, 'Speaking Through Art' in The California Aggie, 2008
Shoka, 'Sight of Sound', in The Sacramento News & Review, July 2008
'Russian Artist Ted Vasin Exhibition Featured at Davis Art Center', in Art Daily, July 2008
Erie Vitiello, 'Sound, Art will share the vibe', in The Davis Enterprize, June 2008
Andy Richie, 'Ted Vasin @ Limn Art Gallery', in ArtSlant, June 2008
'Ted Vasin: Paintings and Sound presented at Limn Gallery', in Art Knowledge News June 2008
Rayhan Harmanci, 'An Abstract Mind' in 96 Hours of SF Chronicle, June 2008
Isaac Amala, 'Ted Vasin Paintings and Sound at LIMN', ArtBusiness, June 2008
'Ted Vasin at LIMN Gallery', Sound Performance Video in Culture-Surfer, June 2008

2007
'Ted Vasin Paintings with Hypersonic Sound', in Art Knowledge News, August 2007
'HyperSonic Sound Accompanies New Vasin Painting at Frey Norris Gallery', in Art Daily, August 2007

2005
'The Future Is a No-Show' in WIRED Magazine, July 2005
Sheila Macho, 'Cover Impressions: Reprogramming of Mental Preprogramming - Ted Vasin', Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy, May 2005
Sabine, 'Edge of Your Carpet' in Art MoCo, April 2005
Joyce Slaton, 'Mathematical Perfection' in SF Weekly, March 2005

2003
New American Paintings, Volume 43, January 2003

2002
Renee Baldocchi, Wei Fang, 'Ted Vasin - Artist and Performer', in Fine Arts Magazine, Fall 2002
'Ted Vasin at Suarez Gallery', Gallery Guide, May 2002
Catalog, International Young Art 2002 ArtLink at Sotheby's

2001
New American Paintings, Volume 31, 2001

2000
Chris Rooney, 'Art goes high-tech', in Marin Scope, July 2000
P.C., 'My friend Picasso' in Where: San Francisco, October 2000

1998
Kate Manning, 'A trio of Styles', Palo Alto Weekly, 1998

1997
David Gefter, 'Vernisage' in Vzgliad Weekly, 1997
Afrikhan Davies, 'Artist Ted Vasin', Jazz Line, TV show, 1997

awards
2006


The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant



2002, 2003


Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Residency