Gosha Levochkin (born April 28, 1986) is a New York artist, born in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, in the former Soviet Union. He has exhibited works in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, and
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Early life and education
His early years were shaped by the collapse of the Soviet Union, having spent the first decade of his life in Moscow, where he was born. His mother was born in
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
, Georgia, his father was from Moscow. They both were professional violinists who played in orchestras for the Soviet Union army. They lived four blocks away from the
Red Square
Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...
.
Following his parents’ separation, he moved with his mother and sister to
Los Feliz
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...
, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. Immersed in the local skateboarding and punk rock subcultures, he was introduced to the work of
Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn, June 16, 1957) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Pettibon came to prominence in the early 1980s in the southern California punk rock scene, creating posters and album art mainly for g ...
, which led him to discover influential artists such as
Mike Kelley,
Peter Saul,
El Lissitzky
El Lissitzky (, born Lazar Markovich Lissitzky , ; – 30 December 1941), was a Soviet Jewish artist, active as a painter, illustrator, designer, printmaker, photographer, and architect. He was an important figure of the Russian avant-garde, h ...
and
. Rather than pursuing a formal art education, he is largely self-taught, gradually developing his own artistic identity. His work draws heavily from Japanese visual culture, particularly
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
as well as his own cultural heritage. Visually and conceptually, his practice is informed by elements of Post-Russian Constructivism, Post-Suprematism, and the broader Post-Russian Avant-Garde, as well as Pop Art.
Career
Levochkin’s unidentifiable characters both create and solve problems within the spatial environment of the canvas. Each piece can be interpreted as a kind of worldly event in which these figures must harmoniously connect in order to overcome and adapt to the situation they inhabit. This connectivity produces a sculpturesque confluence of human-like forms and objects, which together construct a forceful, puzzle-like mechanism for resolving chaos. Gosha’s use of space is both elemental and structural; though geometrically premeditated, it remains deeply rooted in the organic substance of nature. He often incorporates the repetition of circular forms and tonal harmonies, drawing inspiration from Bauhaus principles—particularly its emphasis on clarity, balance, and universality. These circles evoke a sense of wholeness and spiritual cohesion, anchoring the work in rhythmic precision. The result is a visual language that suggests a kind of utilitarian perfection, drawn from the concrete world yet elevated into a symbolic order.
Selected Exhibitions
2024
Signs From Above'' The Hole NYC, New York, USA
2023
ALLOUCHE BENIAS, Athens, Greece
PLOP Residency London, UK
2022
Last Element'' The Hole NYC, New York, USA
2021
Secret Buttons', Over the Influence, Los Angeles, USA
Ramp gallery London, UK
The Hole at Art Brussels 2021', The Hole NYC
2020 (synthetic reality)
Over the Influence, Hong Kong
2016
''Escape'', KP Projects, Los Angeles, USA
2015
''LOST,'' Soze Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2013
''LO-CAL'', C.A.V.E. Gallery, Venice, USA
''Seasonal Changes'', Giant Robot, Los Angeles, USA
2011
''Cluster Mess'', HOLDUP Art, Los Angeles, USA
2010
''Going Places'', C.A.V.E. Gallery, Venice, USA
Residencies
PLOP Residency, London, UK (2023)
Selected bibliography
* Gemima, Clare
"Signs from Above: An interview with Gosha Levochkin."''Whitehot Magazine'', April 9, 2024
References
External links
* http://www.levochkingosha.com/
* https://www.instagram.com/goshalevochkin/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levochkin, Gosha
1986 births
Living people
Artists from New York City
American people of Russian descent
People from Los Feliz, Los Angeles