A brush with… Sanya Kantarovsky

About this episode

Sanya Kantarovsky discusses his artistic influences and experiences that shape his work.

Sanya Kantarovsky talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Kantarovsky was born in Moscow in 1982 and emigrated to to Providence, Rhode Island, when he was ten years old. He lives and works in New York City today. His paintings present scenarios that are at once arresting and alluring. Notionally figurative, they reflect an elastic notion of how the body might be represented through paint, as figures appear in unlikely juxtaposition with other bodies and beings—even morphing into plant or animal forms—and occupy landscapes and spaces that are always infused with atmosphere and often potent with threat. Sanya regularly uses the term ostranenija , a word in his native Russia that means “making strange”, as a guiding principle. Encountering his art, one is aware of one’s own role in continuing that process: how, after slow-looking, they only grow in complexity. And that richness absorbs many moods and registers, from brutality and solemnity to absurdity and out-and-out humour. He discusses the profound effect of his early access to the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Luke

Guest: Sanya Kantarovsky

Topics covered

• art influences
• cultural experiences
• figurative painting
• artistic process
• contemporary artists

Keywords

• Sanya Kantarovsky
• Ben Luke
• art influences
• figurative painting
• Pushkin Museum
• Picasso
• contemporary artists

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Girl on Ball

Places: Moscow, Providence, Rhode Island, New York City

More episodes of A brush with...

• A brush with... Lisa Yuskavage · June 9, 2026 · 1h 7m
• A brush with... Andrew Cranston · April 28, 2026 · 1h 13m
• A brush with... Hurvin Anderson · April 14, 2026 · 48 min
• A brush with... Lorna Simpson · April 7, 2026 · 1h 6m
• A brush with... Danh Vo · March 4, 2026 · 60 min
• A brush with... Veronica Ryan · February 25, 2026 · 1h 6m