Inom Mansurov was born in Kokand, or “City of Winds,” on the crossroads of the trade routes in Uzbekistan, former eastern Soviet Union. Known for the Palace of Khudayar Khan, one of the most opulent in Central Asia; the Jummi Mosque holding 10,000 worshippers; 9 colleges, 5 musical schools, 1 theater, and 7 museums, Kokand greatly influenced Mansurov with its multi-faceted and vibrant cultural legacy. He attended the Kokand State School of the Arts from 1982 to 1986, moving in 1988 to St. Petersburg, a center of Russian artistic life. In 1988 he was accepted to study at the prestigious Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory of Art under Professor Suvorov, where he entered and won First Place of the joint Moscow Ballet-St Petersburg State Conservatory of Art’s inaugural 2011 Visual Art Contest.

On graduation in 1992, Mansurov began exhibiting artwork in St Petersburg, Moscow, London, New York, Hamburg and more. His paintings have strong geometric themes, reminiscent of M.C. Escher, and use color in the most forceful way. He frequently uses the dancer’s body to create intricate patterns, at the same time depicting a strikingly human condition. He has participated in several TV productions and feature length film projects in Russia, China and France. Inom exhibited in the "Oriental Kick" showing at historic Lenfilm Studio where, coincidentally, composer Pytor Tchaikovsky was a guest for the 1893 performance his The Nutcracker ballet. (then the Aquarium Theatre and is now Stage # 4 of Lenfilm).

Elmira Mustafina is a recognized contemporary artist from St. Petersburg and has been since her fist show. Her thesis work, a series of watercolors titled "My Chistopol," was presented in 2004 at the Faculty of Graphic Arts Academy and she was immediately declared an independent, current master of watercolor cityscape. Chistopol, Tatarstan, where Elmira was born and educated, gave her this first important impulse and the formation of her unique creative attitude. The work’s main distinguishing features are its soulful lyricism in the image of the city and an innate sense of color and tonal relationships.

Elmira Mustafina has exhibited since 1993. Since 1999, she has consistently shown at art galleries of Saint Petersburg and in Finland. In 2005, she was involved in the international project "Artists of Russia - The World" and in the III International Biennial "Art-Watercolor-Bridge" where she received an award for Best Work in Urban Landscape. A year later she exhibited her "Snow Petersburg" series in the G. Tukai and M. Jalil show "Artists – Poets." In 2006, she was invited to join the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists and the Watercolour Society of Saint Petersburg. An important event was her solo exhibition at the coveted Blue Room of the Union of Artists in February 2007. Today Mustafina’s work is in private collections in Russia, Sweden, Finland and Germany. Referring to the traditions of Russian and foreign art, Elmira Mustafina constantly strives for creative self-improvement and searches for memorable images.

Anastasia Vostrezova was born in a family of artists in June 1981. She spent all of her childhood in Moscow and in Pereslavl-Zalesski, a small town located 50 miles from Moscow on Lake Pleshcheyevo, where her family had a summer house. She graduated from I.D Shadr Art College in 2000 and continued her art education in Saint Petersburg. In 2008 Anastasia graduated from Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory, where she studied in the studio of Professor M. M. Devyatov. The variety of genres in which she works is portrait, still-life, landscape and figurative compositions. A special place in Anastasia’s art is given to scenes of Russian life, theatre, and to Spanish themes and portraits in which she is trying to reflect the mood and intimate emotions of human beings.

Anastasia works mainly with oil and pastel techniques. Anastasia participates regularly in exhibitions such as the "Peredvijniki of the 21st century," in art exhibitions in Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and other cities of the Russian Federation as well as in Italy and the USA. Her work is sold to private collectors in Greece, the Netherlands, India and is showcased in the art archives of Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory Academy of Arts, which is the biggest art institution of Russia. In May 2011 she entered the inaugural “Moscow Ballet – St Petersburg State Conservatory Art Exhibit” celebrating the Conservatory’s coming 150th Anniversary and is among the top 4 artists to receive an award.

b. 1974 Moldova, former USSR, Oil and Watercolor Painter.
Ms. Diana V. Taran was born in the former Soviet nation of Moldova, in the small town of Stefan Voda. In 1980 her family moved to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, where she still resides. She graduated from the Children's Schiusiev School of Arts in 1989 with distinction and then entered the Repin Republic Art-Pedagogical School (now renamed Plamadeala College) under the tutelage of esteemed instructor Tikhonchuk. Ms. Taran excelled in this environment and graduated at the head of her class in 1994.

Ms. Taran's passion for ballet blossomed during her studies at the art school. She had the honor of attending many rehearsals and performances of the Chisinau Theatre of Opera and Ballet where she sketched the dancers. Ballet became the focal point of her art, with her final school works entitled Awakening, based on the ballet Latent Beauty. Diana was honored by the University for this project, and the institution's museum proudly holds it as part of their collection. In 2003, Taran graduated from the Chisinau Creanga State Pedagogical University. Her works are held in many private collections in Moldova, Russia, and beyond.

Working primarily with a combination of oils and watercolors, Ms. Taran uses the palette knife tool and masterfully owns this technique. The artist also cites "gamma pattern" as a central focus of her work. This sophisticated technique is complicated: colors shimmer and shine; they are delicately layered to create a magical glow. Beyond her unique use of tools and color, however, is a very special and unique charm. Whilst subscribing to this complex methodology, Ms. Taran accomplishes a free and loose style. This liberty, combined with technical expertise, positions the artist as recognizable and her art can easily be distinguished from that of her peers. "For me, ballet is not only physical perfection, but spiritual beauty, it is the sea of feelings. My dream is to please people with pictures, to bring light and beauty in their lives "- Diana V. Taran.

b. 1969, Kemerovo, Russia. Oil Painter.
Tatyana Kalyn was born in Kemerovo, an industrial city located in Siberia. She graduated from her preliminary painting studies at the Kemerovo State Art Institute in 1989. Following this, she was accepted to the esteemed I.E. Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Ms. Kalyn graduated in 2003 from a rigorous education that included instruction by some of Russia's leading artists, including Reihet, Baharev, Blohin, Lysak, and Repin himself.

Tatyana Kalyn's work is comprised of vibrant colors and deliberate, masterful manipulation of light and tone. Layers of heavily-applied paint reveal elements of beautifully crafted social realism. Pairing a striking Impressionistic inspiration with her contemporary sentiments and cultural influences, the paintings are nothing short of captivating.Her works can be found in the Academy of Arts Fund and in private collections all over the world. She has exhibited in Russia, the United States, Finland, France, China and Germany.

b. 1981, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Oil Painter.
Alexandra Nedzvetckaya began her professional career directly following her 2006 graduation from the prestigious I.E. Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in St. Petersburg, Russia, one of the world's leading fine arts academies founded by Catherine the Great in 1757. Her technical skills were finely honed in the Russian academic tradition through many years of study at this iconic institution. In the four short years since commencement, Ms. Nedzvetckaya's work has been on display in many reputable galleries and exhibitions, most notably in Munich (Germany), Delft (The Netherlands), London (United Kingdom) and St. Petersburg (Russia).

Nedzvetckaya's art resonates with tones of femininity, fluidity, and a soft dreamlike sensibility. With these qualities applied to her impeccable realist capabilities, the results are heavenly. Rich in deeply expressive colors and emotions, her paintings are attracting attention from the art world. Vadim Moiseev, General Manager at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts Foundation, calls her work "unconditionally original" and "substantial," while noting that her paintings demand "considerable interest of viewers and connoisseurs of visual art."

Due to her sublime sentiment and immense skill, Nedzvetckaya's paintings have been utilized by the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts Foundation in exhibitions nationwide. The Foundation supplies contemporary arts organizations with work from their top pupils, providing an intimate view of what Russia has to offer to the art world at large.

b. 1966, Tyumen (Siberia), Russia. Oil Painter, Watercolorist, Graphic Artist.
Eugene Ivanov began painting and producing graphic arts professionally in 1988, and has since created over 2500 images. Combining classical elements, such as landscape and figure drawing, with a more modernist sensibility (cubism, suprematism, and expressionism), his pieces are dreamlike yet representative of daily life.

A truly prolific artist, his works have been exhibited far and wide. Galleries in Ireland, England, and Czech Republic have held shows devoted to this painter. Collectors in the Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Poland, Russia, UK and USA hold his original pieces. He has won innumerable awards and is continually called upon to illustrate literary works.

With such impressive curriculum vitae, one suspects that Mr. Ivanov received the best art training from the world's finest institutions. Surprisingly, the painter graduated from the Tyumen Industrial Institute, where he studied engineering and geophysics.