Vyacheslav Yuryevich Zabelin– VIK

9 October 1953, Mongolia – 16 February 2016, Saint Petersburg, Russia

VIK, the artistic name of Vyacheslav Yuryevich Zabelin, was a Russian painter and poet associated with the Leningrad–Saint Petersburg nonconformist art movement.

His distinctive style blended Western avant-garde influences — notably Matisse, Picasso, and Modigliani — with motifs drawn from Russian icons, folk ornament, and mythological symbolism. His compositions are characterised by rhythmic ornamentation, stylised figures, and a dialogue between the sacred and the everyday.

VIK’s artistic identity began to form under the influence of numerous artistic movements and traditions of the early twentieth century.  By the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, however, he had developed his own unique and inimitable style, which he continued to refine for the rest of his life.

Over the years, he experimented with a wide range of palettes and techniques; among his favourites were oil on canvas, gouache, watercolour on paper, and etching. His works vary in subject and scale — from small, intimate prints to monumental paintings created for large exhibition halls and church murals.

VIK was born in 1953 in Mongolia, where his father was serving in the Soviet military. From 1971 to 1974, he studied at the Leningrad Art School named after V. A. Serov, receiving traditional academic training in drawing and painting.

After graduating, he worked as a restorer at the Peterhof Museum, where he developed a deep appreciation for historical art forms and craftsmanship. He also worked as a set designer and prop artist in several Saint Petersburg theatres, including the Alexandrinsky Theatre and the Demmeni Puppet Theatre.

He continued to live and work in Saint Petersburg, creating paintings, drawings, and writings that reflected his philosophical and spiritual outlook. He passed away on 16 February 2016 and was laid to rest at the Smolensk Cemetery in Saint Petersburg.