The exhibition "The Adventures of Saint Ilya in the Land of Childhood Dreams" explores themes of childhood memories, loss, emigration and the search for a new identity. Its central figure - Iļs (he in French) - becomes a guide through a space of dreams, memories and inner transformation, linking the artist’s personal experience with universal questions about growing up, empathy and coming to terms with a post-imperial legacy. Daniil Berkovsk’s paintings, characterised by a vivid colour palette and symbolic imagery, invite the viewer into an emotional dialogue with their own memories and inner world.
Denijs Berkovskis is an artist, illustrator and curator, born in Bashkortostan, who currently lives and works in Marseille (France). In his paintings, he explores themes of memory, childhood, new masculinity, religion and personal identity, combining elements of surrealism, conceptual art and pop art. His works, rich in symbols and references to personal experience, post-Soviet culture and Mordvin mythology, form a cohesive artistic universe under the motto "A BOY IS NOT A GUN".