"Alexander Borkov had already pleased our eyes before with intense colors, compositional laconism and a talent for modeling the world in his own way: in his works an imaging method becomes a theme. This gives certain virtuality to the situation depicted. At first nudes are put into a recognizable context, which is Letny Sad (Summer Garden), but gradually there grows generalization. Borkov’s method in fighting with subject, figurativeness grants childish perception and unexpected humor. The artist masterly demonstrates “a borrowed bridge from realistic art to new art” (V.Kandinsky “On Spiritual in Art”). And then, for instance, a recognizable “The Rape of Sabines” turns into another way of staying in the paradise of Letny Sad: the scene disappears, the “atmosphere” of art remains. And here is Bellona, not martial at all; she’s our girl, from St Petersburg. Some characters start to look like Russianized toys against the background of recognizable smoky sky and bare branches. Everything that’s finished or isn’t read as a myth anymore, gets new plastic, grotesque and pretty awkward, because one cannot use the objects twice unpunished. It’s not a Miss Paradise contest that we see. These are antique goodwives, who want to come off narrow Graeco-Roman couches of art to us, to Eurasia..." Boris Grigorin
March 2011 Alexander Borkov, born in Novaya Ladoga of Leningradskaya Region in 1961. In 1987 he graduated from Art and Graphics faculty of Leningrad State Pedagogical Institute named after A.I.Gertsen. Since 1987 he’s been a permanent participant of shows in St Petersburg (Leningrad) and Moscow, as well as abroad. Since 1991 he’s been a member of Artists’ Union (St Petersburg). Since 1991 he’s been arranging solo shows on a regular basis. Alexander Borkov’s works belong to collections of State Museum of Urban Sculpture (St Petersburg), Central Exhibition Hall “Manezh” (St Petersburg), Vrubel’s Regional Museum (Omsk), and are also in private collections in Russia and abroad. | 
