ILYA Volykhine has been a full-time artist for over twenty years. A citizen of New Zealand and Australia, born in the Soviet Union, he is a critically acclaimed figurative artist.

His extensive list of accolades includes work Highly Commended in the 2026 Adam Portraiture Award, the 2025 ILT Murihiku Art Awards, the 2023 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award, the 2016 Adam Portraiture Award, and the 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021 Walker and Hall Art Awards, for which he has won for his figurative art.

His work has also been exhibited in various award exhibitions and international art fairs, including the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Blake Prize for Religious Art, and the Jacaranda Drawing Prize in Australia, as well as being part of the Imago Mundi New Zealand Consciousness permanent collection in Italy.

Ilya was born in the USSR, although he and his family have lived all over the world; he has exhibited and held residencies across the globe, from New York to Estonia. Since moving to New Zealand in 2009, Ilya has exhibited throughout the country in both solo and group exhibitions. His artwork also features in numerous private, public, and corporate collections worldwide.

Ilya Volykhine’s paintings are poetic and often darkly comic. The characters in his works struggle with the anxieties and joys of life, and his narratives are loose, playful, and chaotic.

At the core of his work is Volykhine’s intuitive process, his confidence, and willingness to let the story unfold as he paints. His expressive brushwork and collage create spaces for his characters to breathe and take on a life yet unexplored.