Nikolai Matryonin

Photographer, painter, graphic artist, collagist, writer, actor. Born in the family of Vasily Matryonin in Leningrad (1951). Studied under Vladlen Gavrilchik and Yury Dyshlenko (1970s). Member of the Leningrad underground culture (1970s). Performed in informal experimental theatres, wrote anti-Soviet prose, photographed forbidden topics and generally led an anti-Soviet lifestyle (1970s). Contributed to exhibitions, including a one-man show of non-objective photographs in his private apartment in Leningrad (1975), one-man shows in St Petersburg and Yaroslavl (1999–2001) and Abstraction in Russia: XX Century at the Russian Museum in St Petersburg (2001–02).