A UKRAINIAN artist who has been influenced by graffiti artist Banksy has held his first solo exhibition at a gallery in Lymm.
Yaroslav Yasenev has an exhibition at Collect Art in the heart of the village.
His work has elements of Banksy and he uses spray paint and acrylic on his canvases to create brightly coloured stunning pieces. Many of the works had sold stickers on them.
He also has similarities to David Hockney with his painting style.
Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Vincent Van Gogh also influence his painting style.
He said that he really likes artists “who do art as one of a kind.”
There are West Coast scenes snd paintings with South Asian influences. The war in Ukraine has also had an impact on his work.
The exhibition opened in October and it is the first time the artist, who teaches classes in Warrington, has exhibited alone.
He studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv, Ukraine, between 2012 and 2018.
The exhibition contains 30 pieces of work, some of which are influenced by the war in Ukraine and others influenced by the sights of the West Coast of the United States or South East Asia or Europe.
One of his works, entitled Sharks Party, and costing £850 features a figure looking down at a pool where shark fins are circling.
The pool is red as if to signify blood and conflict.
Explaining what motivates him, the artist said he likes painting on large canvases.
His dream “is to have my own gallery that is huge, like an airport hangar to showcase all of my work and have a studio inside.”
