Ilia Dolgov is a plant-grower, artist, and writer. Born in 1984 in Voronezh, Russia, he left the country in 2022 in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and now lives in Santa Cruz, California,on the unceded land of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe.
Ilia holds a Master of Fine Art degree in Environmental Art and Social Practice from University of California Santa Cruz, a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from Voronezh State University, and a New Artistic Strategies certificate from the Moscow Institute of Contemporary Art.
The artist has received several professional awards and fellowships, the most recent being Andrei Bely Literature Prize. His practice encompasses numerous solo and group exhibitions in Russia and Europe, the initiation and curation of research platforms, series of collaborative educational experiments, and a range of creative and speculative publications.
kustism@gmail.com
instagram.com/kustism
🎓 EDUCATION
2025
Environmental Art & Social Practice MFA
University of California Santa Cruz, USA
2010
Certificate in Contemporary Art Practices
Moscow Institute of Contemporary Art, Russia
2006
Diploma (BA and MA) in Psychology
Voronezh State University, Russia
🐴 AWARDS AND HONORS
2023
Recipient, Andrei Bely Literature Prize (Prose)
Saint Petersburg, Russia
2016
Recipient, Credit Suisse and Cosmoscow Art Prize for Emerging Artists
Moscow, Russia
2013 –2015
Shortlisted, Kandinsky Prize for Contemporary Art
Moscow, Russia
2013
Recipient, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art Fellowship
Moscow, Russia
2012
Recipient, Innovation Award for Contemporary Art
Moscow, Russia
🪁 TEACHING ROLES
2025 –2026
Lecturer. Classes: Introduction into Programming for Arts, Immersive Non-fiction Storytelling, 4D Foundations
Art Department, University of California Santa Cruz
2023 –2025
Teaching Assistant
Art Department, University of California Santa Cruz
2024
Initiator and Facilitator, Writing-as-Smuggling Workshops Series
Self-organized for graduate students, University of California Santa Cruz
2021
Initiator and Facilitator, Sciaponic Lab of Plant-Human Relations
Assembly Space, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2021
Guest Lecturer, Plant-Human Relations and Art: Mutual Corruption
Graduate Seminar, Anthropology School at Moscow International University, Russia
2021
Guest Lecturer, Non-Human Heterotopias Summer School
Saint Petersburg, Russia
2009 –2014
Lecturer, Theories of Art; Mentor, Studio Art
Voronezh Center for Contemporary Art, Russia
🌲 RESIDENCIES
2022
TUO TUO Arts — Supported by Artists at Risk (AR)
Joutsa, Finland
2014
Büro für kulturelle Übersetzungen
Leipzig, Germany
2023
Spinnerei
Leipzig, Germany
🐙 LONG-TERM INTERSISCIPLINARY PROJECTS
2023 –2025
Compound Selves
An artistic and academic inquiry into matrixial subjectivities, un/belonging, border-crossing, and elemental language.
2019 –2025
Sciaponics
Art & plant-growing framework that involves experimental gardening, installation art, social practice, and writing.
2013 –2021
ForestJournal.org
Online publishing platform exploring various languages for relating with non-human communities.
🎨 ART: PERSONAL SHOWS
2019
“Breathing”-4 Rosa House of Culture, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2019
Metabolic Design XL Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2019
Flaming Archipelago Vadim Sidur Museum, Moscow, Russia
2018
Drinking Set for Irises FFTN space, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2018
Reef-2 XL Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2017
Reef XL Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2016
Herbarium Peresvetov pereulok gallery, Moscow, Russia
2015
Model of Nature, Goethe’s model XL Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2014
Azoikum Büro für kulturelle Übersetzungen, Leipzig, Germany
2013
Azoic Moscow Zoological Museum, with Gallery 21, Russia
2012
Herbarium H.L.A.M. gallery, Voronezh, Russia
2010
Simple Machines in collaboration with Polly, H.L.A.M. gallery, Voronezh, Russia
2009
Utopia is What You Need, But You Are Not Utopia Has Need For Voronezh Center for Contemporary Art, Russia
📖 WRITING: SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2025
I Promise You a Garden { fragments } Featured in "Cobija De Tripas" anthology, published by PoisonOakCommune and EA+SP MFA UCSC, USA
2024
Sciaponics. A Poetic and Practical Guide for Graceful Plant-Growing A book published by Vse Svobodny, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2022
On Merciful Mind A poem, published by Tuo Tuo Art Platform
2020
A Dialect for Porous Worlds An essay, published by Syg.ma platform
2018
Metabolic Design An essay, The Moscow Art Magazine №106
2015
Dogs' Science: Morpho-sphere An essay, The Moscow Art Magazine №96
2015
Guide for the Forest Walks Instructional art piece, Garage Magazine Russia №6
🖼️ ART: SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
Cabija de Tripas Sesnon Art Gallery, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
2024
Clubs der Zukunft / Clubs of the Future: Common Spaces in Transitional Societies Haus der Statistik, Berlin, Germany
2021
Xists: A Metabolic Laboratory Inspired by Solomon Nikritin Bauhaus Museum Dessau, Germany
Deep deep forest PixxelPoint Festival, Slovenia
2019
Botanical illustration Darwin Museum, Moscow, Russia
Barents Spektakel 2019 Kirkenes, Norway
2017
Mir: the village and the world The XII Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale, Ploshchad Mira Museum Centre, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
So Close, So Far Taiga art space, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Wild Flowers (wildness is contextual!) Narrative Projects Gallery, London, UK
1st Garage Triennial of Contemporary Art Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow
Elegance Russiantearoom Gallery and Curating Agency, Paris
2016
Badlands Zarya Center for Contemporary Art, Vladivostok, Russia
Nature Victoria Gallery, Samara, Russia
Experiences of the Imaginary New Holland Project, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Living Alive Arsenal Center for Contemporary Art, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
2015
Observation of the Open Space Divnogorie National Reserve and Museum, Russia
Phantom Show Urban Intervention, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2014
Not A Museum Manifesta X Parallel Program, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
One Place Next to Another Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
Detective Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art, Russia
To Catch a Tortoise Krasnodar Institute of Contemporary Art, Krasnodar, Russia
2013
No Water Tomorrow Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia
Space Lab Spinnerei, MITost Festival, Leipzig, Germany
2012
Awaiting Environment Gallery 21, Moscow, Russia
Strategical Project 3rd Moscow Biennale of Young Art, Russia
Seems Something is Missing Here Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Art, Russia
2011
Practical Knowledge GMG Gallery, Moscow, Russia
Phantom Monuments Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia
Shapes of Mind H.L.A.M. Gallery, Voronezh, Russia
2010
Live Museum of Performance VCCA, Voronezh, Russia
Taming Time Project Fabrika, Moscow, Russia
Foundations VCCA, Voronezh, Russia
2009
The Next Step is Ours! VCCA, Voronezh, Russia
“Care” Land-art Festival Divnogorie National Park, Russia
Can’t Take It Anymore VCCA, Voronezh, Russia
2003 –2006
Member of Art Collectives “Border Investigations” and “Popular Border Investigations” Russia
