Alexey Borisovich Parygin (; born December 2, 1964, in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian artist, philosopher, art historian, art theorist and curator. He is the author of several philosophical art projects, including Contemplation of Money (1997–2000), Art is a Business (2000–2015), Art in the Forest (2000–2005), City as an Artist's Subjectivity (2019–2020), Posturbanism Art Project (since 2005).

Biography Alexey was born in Leningrad 2 December 1964. His father Boris Parygin was a social psychologist. Alexey studied at the graphics faculty of the Herzen University from 1982 to 1989. He organized the art group “Union № 0” in Leningrad in 1986–1989 and created the art squatters’ workshop “Nevsky-25” in Leningrad in 1987–1990. Joined the Professional Artists’ Union of Russia in 1994. Member of the Bureau of the Graphics Section (since 2019), and member of the Board of the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists (since 2022). The Art Critics Association (ACA) member since 2003. PhD in Art History with the thesis Silk Screening as a phenomenon of the 20th Century art (2002).

Since the mid—1980s, the artist perfected printed graphic technics of serigraphy, linocut, woodcut, lithography, cardboard engraving and collagraphy). The artist's works are in many museum collections in Russia (State Catalogue of the Museum Fund of Russia) and the world. The artist lives and makes art in his workshop at the Benois House (St. Petersburg, Russia).

The nature of creativity

In 1980-1990 Parygin concentrated on easel oil painting outside and using models at the studio, experimented with various paint foundations such as canvas, plywood, glass and other media and used texture and relief techniques.

From Aleksandr Kamensky’s article (1988):

From Mikhail German’s article (1991):

From the middle of the 90-ies the artist’s main studies subject matter and experiments became signs and sign systems as communicative link of the contemporary society. From 1997 the artist created a series of extended multimedia projects Contemplation of Money, Art is a Business, Art in the Forest.

From Nikolay Blagodatov's article (2002):

Since 2000, Parygin has been developing the utopian concept of the form of art after the death of art—Posturbanism Art Project / PostUrbanism.

Artist's books

Since 1989, Parygin has been contributing to artist's books. His first editions featured visual series of the author's poetic text: Pesok (The Sand). Leningrad. 1989; Circulation—5 numbered and signed copies; Tsvetnye zvuki (The Coloured Sounds). Leningrad. 1989. Circulation—5 numbered and signed copies;Al. Parygin Tsvetnye zvuki. Copy no. 4/5. / LS Collection Van Abbemuseum.Al. Parygin Tsvetnye zvuki. Copy no. 3/5. / Saxon State and University Library Dresden. Zelenaia kniga (The Green Book). Leningrad. 1989. Circulation—6 numbered and signed copies;Al. Parygin Zelenaia kniga. Copy nr. 5/6. / LS Collection Van AbbemuseumAl. Parygin Zelenaja kniga. Copy no. 2/6. / Saxon State and University Library Dresden Moia mansarda (My Attic). Leningrad. 1990. Circulation—6 numbered and signed copies.Al. Parygin Moja mansarda. Copy no. 6/6. / Saxon State and University Library Dresden. And the artist’s book Krasnye karliki (The Red Dwarfs). Saint Petersburg. 1990. Circulation—8 numbered and signed copies.Al. Parygin Krasnye karliki. Copy nr. 8/8. / LS Collection Van Abbemuseum.

From Elena Grigoryant’s article (2019):

Spanning for three decades of featured art works the legacy holds about forty unique book objects. In the past decade the artist has participated several major group art editions: Metamorphosis. LS Collection Van Abbemuseum. 2013;Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky/ Alexey Parygin Metamorphosis Mayakovsky-Manifesto. St. Petersburg. 2014.Stanford University Libraries. Project Mayakovsky-manifesto: marking the 120th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir MayakovskyWorldCat/ Project Mayakovsky-manifesto: Limited edition of 27 copies, signed by the artists.Маяковский — Манифест/ Mayakovsky—Manifesto. 13 works / 13 artists of St. Petersburg and Moscow, in a box. Homage to Vladimir Mayakovsky. Strannik Gumilëv (Wanderer Gumilyov). 2016;Stanford University Libraries/ Strannik Gumilëv (Wanderer Gumilyov). 2017Columbia University Libraries/ Strannik Gumilëv (Wanderer Gumilyov). 2017 Jubilaeus. LS Collection Van Abbemuseum. 2018;Jubilaeus. LS Collection Van Abbemuseum Library. Russkiy bukvar''' (Russian Alphabet book). M. 2018;Русский букварь в галерее «На Каширке». Москва. Poeziya neizvestnykh slov: Variatsii v kirillitse (Poetry of Unknown Words: Variations in the Cyrillic alphabet''). M. 2019.Зданевич: Здесь и Сейчас.

Museum collections

British Library. (London).Project Mayakovsky-manifesto : marking the 120th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Mayakovsky Identifier: ; System number: 017842103 J. Paul Getty Museum. Getty Research Institute. (Los Angeles). Princeton University Library. Rare Books and Special Collections Dept. (New Jersey).Vladimir Mayakovsky Celebrated.Princeton University Library. Rare Books & Special Collections Department Van Abbemuseum. Russian book art collection LS (Albert Lemmens & Serge Stommels). (Eindhoven).LS Collection Van Abbemuseum. Aleksei Parygin Saxon State and University Library Dresden. (Dresden).Katalog: Parygin, Aleksej Hamburg State and University Library Carl von Ossietzky. (Hamburg). National Museum, Warsaw. Cabinet of modern graphics and drawings. (Warsaw). A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts. Graphics collection. (Almaty). Library of Catalonia. Prints and Drawings Collection. (Barcelona).Biblioteca de Catalunya. Parygin, Alexey artista National Library of Latvia. Prints and Drawings Collection. (Riga). Latvian National Museum of Art. Arsenal/ Artist's Book Foundation. Science library. (Riga). Deering Library. Northwestern University. Artist Book Foundation. (Evanston, Illinois). Chapin Library. Artist's Book Foundation. (Williamstown, Massachusetts). Kumu. Science Library. Tallinn. Luciano Benetton Collection Imago Mundi. Gallerie delle Prigioni. (Treviso). Alfredo Guati Rojo National Watercolor Museum. Mexico City. Museo de la Acuarela. (Toluca). Archivio di Comunicazione Visiva e Libri d’Artista. (Sicily). Mezinárodní portrétní galerie. (Tuzla). Остен музеј на цртеж. Skopje. Hermitage Museum. Hermitage Academic Library/ Rare Books and Manuscripts Sector. (St. Petersburg).Ценное приобретение. Lana Konokotina. NTV—St. Petersburg. «Today—St. Petersburg». February 26, 2024. 19:20.Буквари и буквы в собрании Эрмитажа. Выставка (Rus). Pushkin Museum. Science Library/ Rare Books Dept. (Moscow). Russian Museum. Department of engraving XVIII-XXI centuries. The contemporary photography sector; GRM Science Library/ Rare Books Sector (St. Petersburg).State Catalogue of the Museum Fund of Russia/ Russian Museum: Парыгин Алексей Борисович National Library of Russia. Department of Prints (St. Petersburg). Russian State Library. Department of Prints/ Artist's Book Foundation (Moscow). Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Rare Book Sector (St. Petersburg). Research Library of the Russian Academy of Arts. Rare Book Sector (St. Petersburg). Museum of Art of St. Petersburg of the 20th and 21st centuries. Saint Petersburg Manege. (St. Petersburg). Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. Library/ Artist's Books Sector. (Moscow).Garage Museum of Contemporary Art/ Город / City. St. Petersburg, 2020. Box 33 × 45 × 6 сm. Edition: 7/58. Copy no. 7. Box with 6 rext pages and 36 prints by 35 artists on folded sheetsGarage Museum of Contemporary Art/ Alexey Parygin. Eclipse. St. Petersburg, 2015. 20 × 13,5 × 1 сm. Unique State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. (St. Petersburg). Anna Akhmatova Literary and Memorial Museum. (St. Petersburg). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art. (St. Petersburg). The Museum Complex The Universe of Water. (St. Petersburg). Kuryokhin Center. (St. Petersburg).Collection of the Sergei Kuryokhin Museum / Alexey Parygin Peterhof State Museum-Reserve/ Benoit Family Museum. Russia. The Mayakovsky State Museum. (Moscow).The Mayakovsky State Museum. «Маяковский. Ночь.». 2013. Парыгин А.Б., Чебатуров А. The State Museum and Exhibition Center "ROSISO. Graphics collection. (Moscow). Russian State Library of Arts. (Moscow). State Darwin Museum. Graphics. (Moscow). State Fine Arts Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan. Graphics collection. (Kazan). Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts. (Yekaterinburg).State Catalogue of the Museum Fund of Russia/ ЕМИИ: Парыгин А.Б. Volgograd Museum of Fine Arts named after I. Mashkov. (Volgograd). P. M. Dogadin Astrakhan State Art Gallery. (Astrakhan). Bashkir Nesterov Art Museum. Graphics collection. (Ufa). Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics. (Kaluga). Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts named after P. S. Gamzatova. (Makhachkala). Murmansk Regional Art Museum. Graphics collection. (Murmansk). Contemporary Fine Art Museum on Dimitrovsky Street. (Rostov on Don). Omsk Vrubel Museum of Fine Arts. Graphics collection. (Omsk). Liberov Center State Regional Art Museum. (Omsk). Lipetsk Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts. (Lipetsk). Krasnodar Kovalenko Art Museum. Graphics collection. (Krasnodar). Elabuz State Museum Reserve. Contemporary Graphics Foundation. (Elabuga).

Exhibitions Since 1986, the artist participated in more than 250 exhibitions held in Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Rostov-on-Donn, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, Arkhangelsk, Saratov, etc.). The artist exhibited in the Netherlands in Groningen, Eindhoven; Germany in Kiel, Hamburg, Aachen; Italy in Naples, Rome, Caltanissetta; Spain in Bilbao; Montenegro in Bar; Latvia in Riga; Poland in Warsaw; China in Beijing; Mexico in Mexico City; India; Brazil in Bagé; Guatemala in San Pedro Carchá; Ethiopia in Addis Ababa and others.

Group projects The artist participated in international art projects, festivals and open-air exhibits: “Kubachi Tower” (Kubachi, Amuzgi, Makhachkala / Dagestan, 2022);Кубачинская башня III / 2022. International Biennale of Printed Graphics “Artisterium XII” (Kutaisi, Tbilisi/ Georgia, 2019); “Museum for Friends” (Lipetsk/ Russia, 2019); "Clouds" (Art-village Witland. Vistula Spit, 2018);Погодаева, М. Облака над Балтикой // Балтийские ведомости. — № 12, 25 мая 2018. С — 14. “Printed Graphics” (Kazan, Sviyazhsk/ Tatarstan, 2016); “Crna Gora u o'ima ruskih slikara” (Bar/ Montenegro, 2012); “Warszawa w budowie — architektura XXI w malarstwie (Warsaw/ Poland, September 16–26, 2011)Warszawa w budowie – architektura XXI w. w malarstwie. 01/09/2011 and others.

Principal Artist, Printmaking Studio, Timofey Markov Publishing House, St. Petersburg (2012-2014). The artist worked on several joint publishing projects with Georgy Kovenchuk.

Solo exhibitions

Alexey Parygin/ PostUrbanism-Northwest.—Alvar Aalto Library. Vyborg. July 1—31, 2025.Cultobzor.ru.Алексей Парыгин. Постурбанизм-Северо-Запад. 02.07.2025 PostUrbanJazz.—JFC Jazz Club. Saint Petersburg. December 22, 2023—February 22, 2024.PostUrbanJazz.—JFC Jazz Club. 2024. Posturbanism: Back to the Future. Alexey Parygin. Engravings, art objects, collection.—Book Graphics Library. Saint Petersburg. March 16—April 16, 2023.КультОбзор Alexey Parygin. Posturbanism: Back to the Future. Engravings, art objects, collection. 2023МЦБС им. М.Ю. Лермонтова Exhibition «Posturbanism: Back to the Future. Alexey Parygin. Engravings, art objects, collection». 03/15/2023«Posturbanism: Back to the Future» Exhibition. Anastasia Tamilo. Channel One Russia—Saint Petersburg. "Good morning St. Petersburg". March 17, 2023 9:50 Aqua-Silk.—House of Scientists. Saint Petersburg. October 4—22, 1998. Parygin & Korolchuk (painting, graphics).—Russian Museum, Lecture Hall. Saint Petersburg. November 30—December 31, 1991.

Group exhibitions