"If your work is placed in the Louvre during your lifetime, you become a true living legend."
I’m Vladimir Tselser and although you might not know my name, you will probably be familiar with some of my works. I prefer to let them talk for me because, as an artist and designer, they are the true expression of who I am. Coming from the former USSR, I was greatly influenced by contemporary figures in the art scene of that era before developing my own blend of work back in the 1970s and 80s. Many of my works were created with my friend and colleague, Sergey Volenko, who unfortunately died some years ago. I continue to follow my passion for producing art that can be a means of cultural resistance to political processes that are not in the best interests of my people.
Vladimir Tsesler is an internationally-renowned artist and designer who has worked in multiple art domains, such as posters, paintings, graphics, sculptures, art shares and industrial design. His ‘meme art’ is a sarcastic take on ordinary things and a colorful commentary on the current global political and social situation. One of the most influential artists and designers to come out of Belarus, he has won several international awards for his poster art and has had work exhibited in the Louvre, Paris. The genius of Tselser lies in his ability to take everyday objects and turn them into artistic statements. His work embodies the ease of perception and the unpretentiousness of his message, with simplicity lying at its core. Mundane objects take on a powerful new meaning when used in an unexpected setting, revealing metaphors for the reality the artist himself experiences around him. His work is associated with various well-known brands and is often shocking, provocative, and filled with irony. It is this ability to transform household names into social statements that has made him so successful and he takes great satisfaction in evoking these kinds of reactions through his work.Tsesler uses a wide range of mediums to create his paintings, sculptures, posters, objets d'art, graphic design, industrial design, and so on. Despite that, each work follows the main rule of any great artist – harmony in composition. By applying this principle to his work, he takes creativity to innovative new levels and renders meaningless the standard definitions of design. With the aim of making a strong statement about today’s political stage, Tsesler creates poster art that echoes the slogans of debunked regimes, such as his work ‘Die Russische Wochenschau’ and its references to Nazi newsreels.