Alexander Stolin grew up near the banks of the Dnipro River in Kyiv and now lives near the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Despite their distance, these two places are united by that panoramic waterfront horizon. Stolin draws on these similarities, using rivers as a symbol for his personal journey from the Soviet Union (as it was then) to the United States. For instance, in Old and New (2024), a sweeping diptych of the New Orleans waterfront, translucent ship schematics are superimposed on the surface of a riverside scene. The paintings capture rivers as a place of travel but evoke his own longing, as they juxtapose his experiences in his homeland and adopted home. This diptych is a key work in his second show with Ferrara Showman Gallery “CHER пам’ять : DEAR MEMORY.”
In these works, Stolin also reflects on his role as a parent, and many explore how history and values are passed from one generation to the next. History Lessons (2024) centers on a young boy surrounded by toy knights and a castle made from alphabet blocks arranged to spell the words “Cold,” “War,” and “Peace.” “For myself, starting a family and becoming a parent in a new country initiated a lifetime journey and reconciliation of my own memories and experiences from growing up in very different social and cultural circumstances,” he wrote in an artist statement.
Stolin received a masters of fine arts from the State Institute of Art in Kyiv in 1988 before immigrating to the United States, eventually settling in Louisiana. His first show with Ferrara Showman Gallery was held in 2022. He has presented shows with Marguerite Oestricher Fine Arts and Taylor Bercier Fine Art in New Orleans.