Artist Alexander Voitsekhovsky grew up in Leningrad in the 1960s and '70s. Like many of his family he studied medicine, and eventually started working as a doctor in the emergency services in St Petersburg. He started to draw as a student – at lectures, on the train, in shop queues. In 1994, without his knowledge, Alexander’s friends gathered together the pictures he’d given them over the years, framed them, transferred the commentaries he’d written on the back to labels, and hung them in a gallery in St Petersburg. They then had an opening to which they invited everyone they knew – including the artist. 

Since then Voitsekhovsky has exhibited all over the world and this year Fontanka published his first book in English: A Whale off the coast of Norway and Other Encounters. 

His oil, pastel and pencil drawings have a disarming naivety and charm. Through conversation with him the audience will have an opportunity to become better acquainted with his inner world that creates these characters and scenes.

Voitsekhovsky will show his new illustrations of Pushkin's story Lady-Maid from The Tales of Belkin, and talk about the experience of making the drawings. 

In English and Russian.