One Day – KVARTIRA S

Gallery “Kvartira S”, in collaboration with the Varshavskiye Bani complex, presents the exhibition “One Day” — as seen through the eyes of four artists: Inna Volvak, Yulia Pokrovskaya, Anna Dobrovan, and Marina Smirnova.

“We wanted to create the particular atmosphere of a single day, a single moment on a street or in a park, and to give viewers an opportunity to experience the sense of harmony that arises during a long walk through familiar and beloved places.”

The exhibition brings together landscapes of almost translucent delicacy, melancholy lyrical studies, painterly urban scenes, and distant memories suspended in time.

The central theme of Inna Volvak’s work is the urban landscape, with plein-air painting as an integral part of her practice. “I am fascinated by the city and everything connected with it: past and present, the development and expansion of urban space, architectural contrasts, and people’s lives within the city. Above all, this concerns Moscow—my beloved home city.”

Yulia Pokrovskaya’s series of works portrays the expanses of fields and forests in their pristine purity, as well as city parks with their history and distinctive atmosphere—an inexhaustible source of inspiration and artistic exploration. “The beauty of nature, like a miracle of creation, absorbs and beckons us. It is a little frightening, yet offers boundless freedom. The infinity and restraint, the breadth and depth of the landscape remain: generations pass, years and centuries go by, yet it is still just as beautiful, eternal, and immense.”

Anna Dobrovan’s watercolours are imbued with the joy of being, expressed through the abundance of colour and light that permeates every sheet. They “invite” viewers in, allowing their gaze to “claim” and delight in this space. In her compositions of the urban landscape, the artist explores their depth, silence, and inner state.

Plein-air painting occupies a central place in the work of Marina Smirnova. Whether depicting a bustling metropolis or a quiet provincial town, the artist is equally drawn to the contemporary world and to historic landmarks. “What matters greatly to me is the interaction between people and the world around them—how a person becomes immersed in an environment and what they feel within it.” The fleeting moments of life captured in Marina’s studies possess an almost elusive charm—the viewer becomes part of the work and, while contemplating it, is transported in their mind into the space of the paper or canvas, surrendering to distant memories or images that rise to the surface.

About the participants:

Inna Volvak

Artist, architect, curator. Graduated from the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry. Member of the Professional Union of Artists of Russia. Member of the Association of Plein Air Artists. Active participant in Russian and international art exhibitions. Principal theme in painting: urban landscape, industrial landscape, city life. Awards: 2019 “I Draw the Moscow Region” competition. Exhibitions at the Moscow Central Art School of the Russian Academy of Arts and at the House of Books on Old Arbat. Competition laureate diploma, 1st place. 2018 International Exhibition-Competition of Avant-Garde Art. Moscow House of Artists on Kuznetsky Most. Competition laureate diploma, 1st place. 2017 International Exhibition-Competition “Art Geography.” Central House of Artists. Competition laureate diplomas, 1st and 2nd place. 2016 “International Painted Portrait Competition ‘Art Portrait Club’.” Central House of Artists.

Yulia Pokrovskaya

Artist, curator. Participant in numerous exhibitions. Grants and awards: 2009 “Russian Art Week.” Moscow House of Artists on Kuznetsky Most 2nd place in the “Religious Painting” category.

Anna Dobrovan

Artist, photographer, designer. Graduated from the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry. Member of the Association of Plein Air Artists. Active participant in AHP projects “Coordinates of History. Russian Estates,” “Industrial Origins of Russia,” and, together with the Moscow Metro, “Plein Air BCL.” Loves plein air painting, studies from life in the city and in nature. Principal theme: urban landscape, nature.

Marina Smirnova

Artist, designer. Graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design, Moscow Technological Institute. Member of the Association of Plein Air Artists. Member of the National Union of Pastelists of Russia. Regular participant in contemporary art exhibitions. Works are held in private collections in Russia and abroad, as well as in the holdings of the Plyos Museum-Reserve and the Archaeological Museum of Gorokhovets.