Mikhail Dobrovolskii

Mikhail Dobrovolsky is an artist working across multiple media (painting, graphics, installation, objects, sound). Trained as an architect (Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering).

In his practice, Dobrovolsky explores the urban environment as a space of conflicts: between people, humans and “non-humans”, systems and objects. Through images of absurdity, violence and routine, he documents how daily life embeds individuals within the politico-economic landscape.

The artist's methodology combines observation, sketches and multimedia documentation transformed into artistic statements. His “field” sketches serve as tools for social analysis. Dobrovolsky aims to engage viewers in dialogue about injustice and the individual's role in a world driven by competition, hyperconsumption and hyper-acceleration.

During his residency at MQ, Mikhail Dobrovolsky plans to develop his artistic language and observational methods. He is interested in shifting his perspective — from that of a local resident to that of a visitor — to discover new dimensions in the seemingly familiar and uncover fresh facets of absurdity and chaos. He aims to immerse himself in new sociocultural relationships, historical contexts, and cultural realities. For the artist, this represents an opportunity to expand and enrich his practice.
Dobrovolsky intends to study the context and collect photographic, audio, and textual documentation, which he will then use as the foundation for creating a multi-layered para-documentary statement. His primary goal is to develop the collected materials into a graphic series by connecting its elements and imbuing it with object-like quality. As conceived by the artist, sound and text will serve to complement the work organically.