Vadim Fishkin (born 1965 in Penza, USSR) lived in Moscow until 1996; he currently lives and works in Ljubljana. He studied at the Moscow Institute of Architecture, from which he graduated in 1986. His work explores the relationships between science, personal experience, desire, and the imagination, between metaphysics and pragmatism, and between the artificial and the real. The artist succeeds in uncovering subtle connections that arouse viewers’ curiosity, yet leaves them guessing about the ultimate meaning. Fishkin’s main area of investigation is science and its study methods as he uses technological advances for essentially poetic purposes and many of his installations, sculptures, photographs, and drawings are informed by his distinctive sense of humor. His work has been presented in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including at three Venice Biennials (in 1995, 2003, and 2005); the 1st Valencia Biennial; the Manifesta 1, Rotterdam; the 3rd Istanbul Biennial; the 8th Baltic Triennial of International Art, Vilnius; eva+, Limerick; Casino Luxembourg, Luxembourg; the Secession, Vienna; Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris; FRAC Lorraine, Metz; Moderna galerija, Ljubljana, Galerija Gregor Podnar, Ljubljana; Galerija Škuc, Ljubljana; Contemporary Art Center, Moscow; XL Gallery, Moscow; Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig; Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin; Palazzo dell Ragione, Milano; BAWAG Foundation, Vienna; ZKM, Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe; MACRO Museum for Contemporary Art, Rome; Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston; and the Drawing Center, New York; 9th Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai.
