By: Yar Abrasau
Dmitrii Iazykov, the creative genius, has transformed his passion for art into a thriving business that has left a profound mark on the urban art scene as well as redefined the concept of street art as a whole. From humble beginnings to international recognition, Dmitrii’s journey is a testament to the power of following one’s passion and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Dmitrii’s journey into the world of art began at a very young age, fueling his fascination with drawing that persisted throughout his life. Armed with a formal education in architecture, Dmitrii honed his artistic skills, but it was the world of graffiti that truly captured his heart. Dmitrii’s early inspiration for graffiti art came from the video game “Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure” by Marc Ecko. The game immersed him in street culture and served as a catalyst for his artistic development. Over the years, Dmitrii has discovered and admired the works of numerous artists who, like him, began their journeys with a can of spray paint in hand. During his school years, he excelled in online sketch battles, gaining recognition and acclaim for his unique style.
This eventually led to an invitation and further participation in the OTD graffiti team, uniting talented artists from Russia, Ukraine, and Germany. Worked in more than 40 cities in Russia and participated in such street art exhibitions as Palisade 2.0 and Yarstreetart. Especially noteworthy is the Palisade 2.0 festival. Among 93 applications from professional artists, Dmitrii was selected and became one of the participants. Among the participants were well-known authors such as Kali Baynozarov from Kazakhstan, who was a private participant in the international mural festival “Urban Morphogenesis” and the street art festival CTRL+C/CTRL+V. The Effect Graff collective, which participated in the festivals “Bridges”, graffiti festival “Movement”, street art festival “About Love”, graffiti festival “Buryatia in colors” and others. Andrey Kalugin, participant of the international mural festival “Urban Morphogenesis” and the Russian street art festivals “Wall”, “Shorthand”, “Pages of History”. There were viewers from Russia, the USA and Kazakhstan. As part of the festival, Dmitrii executed a unique 3D font on the corner of the building, creating a three-dimensional illusion. It seems as if the font breaks out of the wall and breaks it.
The logical step after recognizing the skill of other outstanding artists and artists was to join the Eurasian Art Union. Although it was difficult to get a membership there. It was necessary to provide a list of photos of the main works. They had to meet the following criteria: a high level formed, the absence of compositional errors, a sense of the depth of space, the complexity and sonority of coloristic solutions, picturesque execution and the absence of open colors. At the vote of the presidium, Dmitrii’s works received 21 out of 38 votes of the council members, among whom were artists of international level: Leonid Fedorovich, Filkov Fedor and Sergey Kupriyanov. It allowed him to start interacting in the art field with the art community around the world.
Dmitrii Iazykov’s journey into entrepreneurship in art began when a local bank approached him for a graffiti design project. This bank was an investor in the construction of a ski base, and light premises for clients and staff were installed at the start of the project. Dmitrii designed 5 of these in the theme of skiing and snowboarding. As a result, it created a comfortable environment and thereby enhanced the reputation of this bank. The pivotal moment was when he realized the potential of turning his passion into a lucrative business. “I can do what I like and additionally earn income. What could be better?” Dmitrii remarks.
Dmitrii is often invited to exhibitions and festivals, as the organizers see uniqueness in his works. Dmitrii’s innovative approach includes using neural networks, such as Chat GPT and Midjorney, to develop sketches and generate creative ideas. These cutting-edge tools enable him to produce a wide array of draft designs, ensuring a more precise alignment with the client’s vision.
What really distinguishes Dmitrii’s path is his flexibility and willingness to solve unique tasks. Despite the fact that he has successfully completed many classic projects, he is always ready to start new experiments. Dmitrii proudly talks about the project in which he painted for Lukoil. It was an honor to work with such a large-scale company, which is the 2nd in Russia in oil production and which owns 2% of world oil production. The management set the task of implementing the Lukoil charity project, which was supposed to demonstrate the social orientation of the enterprise. “In the process, I had to work in very hot weather. It was impossible to draw most of the day because of the temperature, so I had to partially work at night. The customer was satisfied with the work done, and as a result, the recognition of the Lukoil brand increased,’ Dmitrii shares.
Like any talented commercial artist, Dmitrii faced his fair share of obstacles. He recalls the significant differences between his first contract and the current ones, which now take into account about 15 nuances noted in the contract with customers. Among them are adaptation to various technologies necessary for surface preparation and painting, improvement of business processes and more accurate execution of the sketch. Fortunately, all these difficulties led to an increase in skill and, as a result, to an increase in the price per square meter for work. Now the cost of Dmitrii’s work is 4 – 5 times higher than the average market price
Despite the challenges, Dmitrii Iazykov remains optimistic about the future of the graffiti art industry. He sees no problems as it’s a trend of art being integrated into people’s lives. The popularity and development of art murals around the world, particularly in developed countries, indicate a bright and promising future.
In a world where artistic expressions transform urban landscapes, Dmitrii Iazykov stands at the forefront, setting new standards for graffiti artistry. His journey from a young artist with a dream to an international artist serves as a testament to the power of creativity, innovation, and unwavering passion.
