Russian, b. 1962, Salsk, Russia. Koshlyakov is primarily known for painting on large scale cardboard that is suspended from the ceiling. From the late 1980s he became well-known for his cityscapes, architectural fantasies and hastily executed spray-painted portraits. He depicts monuments and places within Europe, transforming them into symbols of cultural heritage and politics. His use of cardboard can be read in the context of European artists in the 1960s who sought to work with found objects and to redefine painting. Koshlyakov also engages a Russian tradition of using such materials. Exposed in 2017 in Cà Foscari, 57th Venice Biennale, We have never stopped building Utopia