A contemporary Kazakhstani artist. His works include collages and video installations. Key methods in P. Ovchinnikov’s practice cover sarcasm, absurdity, symbolism, and hyperbole. Key themes are memory, identity, and the consumer society.

P. Ovchinnikov studied at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Faculty of Philology, 1993–1997).

His artistic practice is dedicated to the critique of mass culture and consumer society. P. Ovchinnikov creates his works from fragments of magazine articles, advertising headlines, and packaging. The collages, through which the artist conveys modern society’s dependence on external goods, are displayed on hangers with tags instead of labels (“Joys of Consumption,” 2014). Layered magazine clippings are juxtaposed with empty white cardboard featuring a small image of the Kazakh flag at the center, prompting reflection on power and human rights (“Untitled,” exhibition “Bad Jokes,” 2018).

P. Ovchinnikov’s artworks were exhibited in projects in Kazakhstan: “Inventory” (German Theatre, Almaty, 2002), “The Use of Waste Paper in a Multicultural Environment” (SCCA, Almaty, 2003), “D-Generation” (“Ular” Gallery, 2003), “In Memory of Shai-Ziya” (“Ular” Gallery, 2003), “Farewell to Rock’n’Roll” (SCCA, Almaty, 2005), “The Abduction of Europa” (“Tengri-Umay” Gallery, Almaty, 2013), “3P” (“Nedelka” Project, Almaty, 2013), “Joys of Consumption” (“B2A” Project, Almaty, 2014), and “Bad Jokes” (“ARTMEKEN” Gallery, Almaty, 2018–2019).

Information about P. Ovchinnikov is stored in the collection of the Documentation project — the archive of the Soros Center for Contemporary Art – Almaty (SCCA).