I take familiar—body, nature, artist—
and break them right before you
into parts: cubes, patterns, words.
To discover them beneath forms
we have never seen.
I use brushes, codes, and words
on canvas, paper, screen.
But ultimately,
my instrument is wonder,
my medium is you.
I am the invisible artist: Ilya Yod.
No face. No photo. No ego.
Just
Ilya Yod (b. 1984) is known as the Invisible Artist working in Metapainting, a term he uses for his paintings with computer-generated elements.
Since the 2000s, he has developed more than eight series of paintings and drawings: Figures (since 2016) explores the body divided into blocks; Skieshapes (2021) cuts time into black-and-white drawings of clouds; Zoomingins (since 2021) enlarges reality into geometric patterns. Series are linked by fragmentation, breaking forms into parts to reveal hidden ideas.
His work has been shown in over twenty exhibitions across Europe, including Skurril (Marl, 2018), Mazipos (Romania, 2017), and Sacred Art (Senlis, 2019), in both solo and group shows. It has also been featured in magazines such as Creative Boom and Aesthetica. Yet, the artist himself remains invisible in media, but present through these works and the texts.
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Selected Exhibitions:
2022 Hide and seek | Moscow, Russia
Showcased acrylic paintings in a group show on the hidden and visible, curated by Mikhail Lipovskikh at the Skolkovo Innovation Center at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech)
2022 Everplace | St. Petersburg, Russia
Presented a large-scale acrylic diptych (1.35 x 2.4 m) in a group show on the interconnections between the physical and virtual worlds, curated by Ana Belkina at the Third Place Gallery
2021 Art Russia 2021 | Moscow, Russia
Showcased three paintings at the prestigious Art Russia biennale, a renowned platform for contemporary art
2020 Cubeman | Moscow, Russia
Featured 14 paintings in a solo show on issues of humanity at the Zdes na Taganke Gallery
2019 Sacred Art | Senlis, France
Contributed paintings to a group show explored the contemporary interpretations of religious symbols and cultural heritage, curated by Marc Higonnet at the Saint-Pierre Church
2018 Skurril | Marl, Germany
Presented an acrylic painting in a group exhibition exploring eccentric and unconventional contemporary art, curated by Art Star Cultural Affairs Committee at Marler Stern Shopping Centre
2010 The Art of Opposition | Moscow, Russia
Contributed acrylic paintings to a group show at the Winzavod Contemporary Art Center focused on the vibrant role of painting in contemporary art. Curated by Vladimir Potapov, instructor of the Contemporary Painting course at the Tretyakov Gallery and the MMOMA