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In the paintings of Russian-born artist Ilya Zomb, images of ballerinas, elephants, and gigantic fruits appear as if out of a dream, but the artist says it’s the everyday life in New York, where he lives, that inspires his flights of fancy.

Occupying the shadowy space "between the possible and impossible, the real and unreal," Ilya Zomb's brilliantly conceived, chimerical paintings lie at the elusive intersection of reality and pure fantasy. They are reminiscent of such diverse masters as Botticelli, Degas, and Magritte – but perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of this Russian artist's work is that, despite myriad tempting comparisons, it remains curiously unique.

Zomb's images can be incredibly theatrical, recalling the dream sequences often found in productions of dance, or the nature-defying feats of circus performers. At other times the scenes have a mythical, literary feel, and we can easily imagine them as sumptuous illustrations for a lost book of parables penned by the likes of Scheherazade. An intensely perceptive artist, Zomb never fails to account for the contradictory emotions provoked by the uncertainty of reality. His works are dynamic with an air of celebration, of a spectacular and opulent grand finale, while other pieces of his are poignant and meditative as a still pool.

Like all great spinners of tales, Zomb is a superb sorcerer. He continually manipulates our most basic expectations by altering proportion, hinting at hidden allegory, and manifesting, through careful realism, scenes that barely perch on the possible. Entreating viewers to "look at my paintings as you would travel to some exotic country and stare in amazement at the strange new world," Zomb deftly conjures a vision where man-sized fruit is perpetually ripe; where beasts and storms, purged of their minatory natures, are harbingers of peace and beauty. His dreamy, enchanting work allows for the kind of utopic harmony that is all but nonexistent in the realm of the brutally real. And his stirring messages, while rooted in an exploration of the ancient human longing to control circumstance and environment, bear relevance to the most contemporary of concerns.

Education:

• 1975-79 Odessa State Art College, USSR. Majored in fine arts.
• 1971-75 Odessa Art School, USSR.

Solo Exhibition:

• 2009 Overcoming Stillness, Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
• 2006 Metamorphoses of Stillness, Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
• 2004 Pairs, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.
• 2001 Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.
• 1999 Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.
• 1998 New Paintings and prints. Bennett Galleries, Knoxville, TN.
  Recent Paintings, Sailor Valentine's Gallery, Nantucket, MA.
• 1997 Daily Phenomena, Avery on Bond, NoHo, New York, NY.
  New Paintings, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA.
• 1996 New Works, Bennett Galleries, Knoxville, TN.
  Pictures of Ordinary Life, Avery on Bond, NoHo, New York, NY.
• 1995 Central Park's Fairy Tales, Synchronicity Space Gallery, SoHo, New York, NY.

Museum Collections:

• Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN.
• National Museum of Art of Ukraine, Kiev, USSR.

Selected Group Exhibition:

• 2008 Knoxville Fine Arts Museum, Knoxville, TN.
  Red Dot Art Fair, Miami, FL.
• 2007 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
• 2003 ART Chicago, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Chicago, IL.
  20th Anniversary, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY.
• 1997 Fine Art Auction, Lincoln Center, New York, NY.
• 1996 The World Bank, Washington, D.C.
  Sailor Valentine's Gallery, Nantucket, MA.
• 1995 The Brookfield Gallery of Fine Arts, Brookfield, MA.
  Crossing Over, The RJR Nabisco Gallery, East Hanover, NJ.
  Phoenix Art Gallery, Topeka, KS.
  Animals and Art. Bennett Gallery, Knoxville, TN.
  Sailor Valentine's Gallery. Nantucket, MA.
  FNARC, New York City, NY.
• 1994 Sailor Valentine gallery, Nantucket, MA.
• 1993 From The Union No Longer, SoHo, New York, NY.
• 1992 Anna Howard Gallery, Washington Depot, CT.
  A Russian Affair, Princeton, NJ.
• 1991 Synchronicit, Space Gallery, SoHo, New York, NY.
• 1990 Prince Art Gallery, SoHo, New York, NY.
  Exhibition of 4 Artists, Anna Howard Gallery, Washington Depot, CT.
• 1987 National Museum of Art of Ukraine, Kiev, USSR.
  Youth of Country, Manege, Moscow, USSR.
  Exhibition of Young Artists, Kiev, USSR.
• 1979-88 Participated in various local and national exhibition and art shows. Odessa and Kiev, USSR.

Publications:

• Menninger. Perspective. Number 2, 2002, Number 2, 2004.
• Art Now Gallery Guide. May 2004.
• METPO. May 2004. Russian American Weekly Magazine.
• The Week. November 30, 2001 page 26.
• The Spirit of Butterflies. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 2000.
• Entree Magazine, (on cover) 2000.
• Mode Magazine, 1999, 1998.
• The Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1998.
• Gallery & Studio, 1999.
• Metro Pulse, 1996, 1998.
• Novoye Russkoye Slovo (Russian American Daily Newspaper) 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007.
• The Nantucket Beacon, 1996.
• The New York Observer, 1996.
• Russian Reporter, 1996.
• ArtSpeak, 1993, 1995.
• The Worcester Phoenix, 1995.
• North County News, 1993.
• Jewish Week, 1993
• Voices, 1990.
• Heritage Villager, 1990.

Interviews:

• Interview to TV channel "Culture", Russia, 2007.
• Interview to WMNB (Russian American Broadcasting Co.) 1995.
• Interview to WCCA Cable 13 (Massachusetts) 1995.