Ivan Alifan is een getalenteerde kunstenaar die momenteel in Canada woont. Hij is de zoon van de Russische schilder Anna Razumovskaya. Momenteel baart hij opzien met zijn een reeks olieverfschilderijen onder de verzameltitel: It′s Not Milk. Alifan′s portretten combineren overdaad met sensualiteit en doordat het allemaal zo extreem is kán het niet anders of roept het sterk wisselende reacties op bij de kijkers. Het is dus geen melk, maar is het kunst?
“This series is an exploration of the modern gaze; of ambiguous figurative paintings that are revealed and transformed within the act of the individuals’ views. These portraits are not an attempt to render physical characteristics but rather create a language of underlying sexual subtexts. Using ambiguity as a tool demands the viewer’s exploration of their psyches and provokes self awareness”
“To have a painting that can exist as an alluring object and shift into an eroticized figure disarms and naturalizes the modern gaze; decriminalizing sex in art. Whether an individual sexualizes the figure, or becomes embarrassed and nervous by the mere suggestion, this is all a process which occurs independently from the painting. Breaking down barriers of the different modes in which the body can exist in social spheres and contemporary art.”
