Oleg Dou: A Journey Within

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Internationally acclaimed artist Oleg Dou was born in 1983 in Moscow and graduated from the Moscow State Institute of Steel and Alloys in 2006. Since then, he has worked as an artist in cooperation art institutions and curators around the world.

They were never meant to just be faces, and they were never meant to just be beautiful. That is the talent that consumes Russian artist Oleg Dou. When his work is completed, the viewer will either be intrigued or indifferent. Every single photo done by Oleg Dou is not a simple process for the average Adobe Photoshop user. There is meticulous effort into whom he chooses, and the editing that goes into the photos. He never falls short of perfection when bringing the imagery of his mind to life.

Oleg’s inspiration is drawn from a constant personal narrative. We believe that we rarely see him in his photos, but the truth is each and every photo is an extension of himself. When his work is viewed, he doesn’t want to tell you what it means. Each image can be something different to every person, there is no wrong answer and there is no right answer.

“Narcissus In Love”, 2015, Oleg Dou

Dou speaks about how on social media we can display a happy and bright appearance, but that’s all it ever really is, a fabrication of who we are. With Broken Mirror we are given the chance to discover more about what we represent and ourselves. We can see the brokenness that we all can carry everyday. It is a chance to see us stripped down, to our very naked self.

Oleg’s work is continuously inspired by this interest in human individuality and self-expression and the attempts to solve the problem of identity in our age. Visually intrigued by the culture of fashion and surrealists, his 2006 Naked Faces project was devoted to the relationship between a human’s inner self and his behavior in society and proposes that the expectations of society set the standards of behavior and thought in terms of what is appropriate and acceptable.

“Narcissus 2”, 2015, Oleg Dou.

These themes continue to be prevalent in his works today. Oleg Dou has won countless International awards and his art has been exhibited in many major institutions internationally including the Pingyao International Photography Festival (China), the Seoul Photo Festival (Korea), the FotoFestival Naarden (Netherlands) and the International Photography Awards. His works were featured twice at the Kandinsky Prize (2007 and 2008), the main contemporary art exhibition award in Moscow. He has also been featured in exhibitions in France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Poland, Republic of Korea, China and Turkey. Oleg Dou was also rated number 3 under 30 world wide according to Art Market Insight, in their “30 under 30.. Up and Coming Photographers.”

Oleg Dou first exhibited at Deborah Colton Gallery during the 2012 FotoFest Biennial in Focus on Russia II and has also been featured by Deborah Colton Gallery at the Dallas Art Fair, the Houston Fine Art Fair and ArtAspen. This year Deborah Colton Gallery will debut his newest collection of works in a solo exhibition entitled, Broken Mirror. The exhibition will open in March 2016 and will be in conjunction with FotoFest Houston.

Broken Mirror will be on exhibit at the Deborah Colton Gallery now through April 23rd, 2016.

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Olga Tobreluts: A Summer Show in Budapest

Deborah Colton Gallery represented artist and international art star, patient Olga Tobreluts, advice  has been included as a featured artist in a group museum exhibition, Absolute Beauty – Neoacademism in Saint Petersburg, which opened earlier this month at the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art in Budapest, Hungary.

The artwork included in Absolute Beauty highlights the remarkable Post-Modern New Academy movement in Russian art, which was founded in 1988 in Saint Petersburg and aims to reintroduce to an art-savvy audience to the oft-considered taboo subject of “beauty.” Established on convictions of ideology and the idea of the ideal image, Neoacademism marks a return in Russian art of classical traditions and sensibilities, in the context of contemporary Russia.

Founder and Managing Director, Deborah M. Colton of Deborah Colton Gallery, had the pleasure of visiting Budapest to attend the Ludwig Museum Opening to support Olga, whose work will next be presented at the 2015 Houston Fine Art Fair and the 2016 Armory Show with a Private Gallery Show in NYC to follow.

Coming to Budapest to meet Deborah Colton and join the Ludwig Museum Festivities was one of Deborah Colton Gallery’s other Russian artists, Oleg Dou. Oleg and Deborah spent a day together planning Oleg’s world wide debut of new work for his 2016 solo exhibition at Deborah Colton Gallery which will take place next March during Houston’s FotoFest Biennale.

Olga Tobreluts before her show at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, Hungary.

Olga Tobreluts with her son, patrons and Deborah M. Colton at the opening, Ludwig Museum in Budapest, Hungary.

A woman poses with a flyer for Olga Tobreluts show.

A photographer admiring Olga Tobreluts, “Models I-VI.”

Olga Tobreluts points at herself in artwork of all the artists from the group show.

“Models I-VI”, 2012, by Olga Tobreluts.

“Adam” and “Eve”, 2006, by Olga Tobreluts.

The large gallery space that exhibited Olga’s work.

“Models I-VI”, 2012, by Olga Tobreluts among a crowd.

“Models I-VI”, 2012, by Olga Tobreluts

“Battle of the Bare”, 2011, by Olga Tobreluts

“Hercules Wife”, 1995, “Adam”, 2006, and “Eve”, 2006, by Olga Tobreluts

“Hercules Wife”, 1995, “Adam”, 2006, and “Eve”, 2006, by Olga Tobreluts

“Empire Reflections I, II” ,1993-1994, by Olga Tobreluts

“Empire Reflections I, II” ,1993-1994, by Olga Tobreluts

“Empire Reflections” ,1993-1994, by Olga Tobreluts

“Empire Reflections” ,1993, by Olga Tobreluts

 Opening talk for Absolute Beauty-Neoacademism in Saint Petersburg exhibit.

 Deborah Colton and Oleg Duo in Budapest, Hungary.

Olga Tobreluts: A Summer Show in Budapest