Hello, I'm Anton, an artist who has been immersed in the world of painting since 2011. My journey began in Simferopol, Crimea, born in 1985 during the era of the USSR. The geopolitical shifts in the region transformed my identity from Soviet kid to Russian/American artist leaving me with a complex sense of nationality. To sum it up I would describe my identity as a Eastern Slav but I realize that I'm a human first. 

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During my formative years, I dived into ancient history, absorbing knowledge about first human civilizations such as; Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Ancient Africa, and Meso-America. The post-USSR era in the 90s  limited information sources, relying on local libraries until the emergence of the internet. In 2001, my family won a green card lottery, leading us to the United States. I attended Granby High school in Norfolk, VA, and later pursued a degree in multimedia design at Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach VA, although my heart was captivated by the works of Picasso, Basquiat, Pollock, and other modern art pioneers.

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Post-college, my artistic journey took me to Richmond studying at Virginia Commonwealth University for Graphic Design degree.

However, my passion found a different outlet when I co-created the clothing brand "Vernato," exploring human history and cultural richness. While working as a creative director for six years.

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Following this venture, I moved to New York City , aiming to open a store for the "Vernato" clothing brand. Despite the challenges posed by the high cost of living, the city added depth to my artistic perspective, exposing me to diverse cultures. Tribal primitive cultures of Africa, Latin America, pre-Christian Europe, Sumerian, and Egyptian civilizations captivated me, influencing my artwork.

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I stand before my paintings, deciphering their meaning, searching for clues and symbols that unlock their secrets. This introspection led me to create a new art style, which I call Tribal Expressionism. In this style, prehistoric and tribal visual elements blend seamlessly with expressionism aesthetics.

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After dedicating about four years to the creation of Tribal Expressionism art, my artistic journey took an intriguing turn. Introduced to the psychedelic experience, I found profound inspiration in the fluidity and flow it offered. This newfound influence sparked the birth of another distinctive art style known as Light Reflective Art!

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In the realm of Light Reflective Art, I employ specific paints such as iridescence, fluorescence, glow in the dark, and retro-reflective paints. These specialized mediums allow my paintings to undergo transformative experiences, showcasing a spectrum of colors depending on the angle of viewing and the presence of light. It's a mesmerizing dance of hues and forms, bringing my artistic vision to life in ways previously unseen.

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In this artistic endeavor, I delve into the metaphysical and mystical aspects of the human psyche, unveiling the unseen realms that exist within us. Each painting becomes a portal into a world of ethereal beauty, where the interplay of light and color evokes a sense of wonder and introspection.

This exploration not only adds a new dimension to my artistic repertoire but also deepens my connection with the ever-evolving nature of creativity. As I continue to navigate the realms of Tribal Expressionism and Light Reflective Art, my work stands as a testament to the limitless possibilities that unfold when art and imagination intertwine.

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Magical Mystical Art making Journey continues opening new horizons...

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As an international artist, my works have been featured in solo and group exhibitions globally. Notable events include the Art Fair Salon International d'Art Contemporain in Luxembourg, a solo exhibition at La Domaine Capelongue in France, and exhibits at Tribeca Art Factory and Unruly Collective in NYC, along with group exhibitions in Tokyo, Japan. While my studio in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn is my creative haven:

 

Over 800 works of art are in private collections in almost all US states, Canada, Mexico, Israel, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Netherlands, Ukraine, Belarus, Haiti, South Africa, Russian Federation and Japan.

 

Anton is a creator of a new art style called Tribal Expressionism.

 

Tribal Expressionism is a style and movement in art, especially in painting, in which prehistoric and tribal visual elements,ornaments and symbols are combined with expressionism aesthetic.

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History of creation for Tribal Expressionism:

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Tribal Expressionism as a painting style was born in 2017 in my Bushwick, Brooklyn studio, during conversations with fellow artists. Some of them observed the recurring presence of arrow symbols, primal dots, and rhythmic patterns in my work. This realization made me reflect on the raw, shamanic energy embedded in my paintings. At the time, I was creating Neo-Expressionist pieces, but that night, I understood that my art carried something deeper—a tribal or primal essence. It was then that I coined the term "Tribal Expressionism" sometimes i call it Primal Expressionism—an acknowledgment of humanity’s universal tribal roots and the expressive nature of art as a conduit for emotion.

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Beyond being a painting style, Tribal Expressionism is an idea—one that embodies a profound connection to the earth and the innate urge to create. It speaks to the production of raw, authentic art infused with a shamanic spirit. Through this name, I seek to reaffirm the primal desire to make art—to leave behind a mark of our existence, much like our prehistoric ancestors did. They are the true originators of human artistic expression, and we, as artists, continue that lineage.

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The Manifesto of Tribal Expressionism:

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Created by Anton Vitkovskiy, 2017, Bushwick, Brooklyn:

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I. The Call to Reconnect
Art is a mark—an imprint of existence, a reflection of the human spirit in motion. Tribal Expressionism is a return to the source, a reconnection with the primal urge to create that has existed since the first hands pressed against cave walls, since the first symbols were etched in earth and stone.

II. The Universal Thread
Before nations, before boundaries, before the divisions of culture, there was human expression, shaped by rhythm, gesture, and ritual. The arrow, the dot, the pattern—each an echo of the ancestral voice, speaking across time. Tribal Expressionism does not seek to imitate the past but to reignite its essence, weaving together the raw energy of mark-making with the emotional depth of expressionism.

III. Shamanic Energy & Raw Creation
Art is not simply technique or representation—it is spirit, transmission, and transformation. Tribal Expressionism channels shamanic energy, creating through instinct, through visceral motion, through a connection to the earth and human emotion. The artist is both creator and conduit, bringing forth imagery that resonates with something ancient yet deeply personal.

IV. The Act of Reclamation
To create is to claim space in history, just as our predecessors once did with ochre, charcoal, and carved stone. Tribal Expressionism stands as an act of remembering, reinforcing that the artistic impulse is not a learned skill but an inherited instinct. It is a recognition that contemporary art need not sever ties with its origins—it can embrace them, celebrate them, and carry them forward.

V. Art as Ritual, Art as Language
Expression is not bound by words alone—it is lived, embodied, painted, sculpted, and traced into being. Tribal Expressionism asserts that art is ritual, a form of storytelling beyond written language. It speaks through symbolic rhythm, primal intensity, and the unfiltered translation of emotion onto canvas.

VI. The Eternal Lineage
From the hands of prehistoric artists to the strokes of modern creators, the line continues. Tribal Expressionism is not about nostalgia—it is about presence, about grounding art in something fundamental, in something universal and instinctive. It is not a style confined by era, but a philosophy that reaffirms our place in the vast lineage of human creativity.

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Tribal Expressionism is a movement, a recognition, and a continuation of the human story in art. It is an invitation to create with authenticity, intention, and remembrance—to leave a mark, just as those before us have done.

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Artist Statement of Anton Vitkovskiy:

I want to start by saying that art is everywhere, in every tiny bits of the universe. We are saturated with art without knowing it. It is my purpose as an artist to uncover it like an archeologist trying to dig out ancient relic to expose it for the eyes if the public.

Last 13 years of my life I was a full time artist, every single day since then I was followed by a really strong urge to act and to make art non stop. If I do not do it , I feel like my existence as a human is wasted. I feel excruciatingly powerful force is guiding me and flowing through my veins,  this force sells my paintings, gives me shelter and food as long as I continue making. Act of art is essential to my well being and  to my psychological and physical health. Otherwise I will go insane if I do not continue making.

I start every time with multiple blank canvases, I work on many pieces (the bigger the better), at the time, expressing most of the ideas that are on my mind. Simultaneously I grasp as many topics as I can. All of the surfaces mentioned above are being merged into one single message:  I exist and project a RAW desire to live and to depict. Something that prehistoric humans had inside of them when they were painting the walls of their caves. Like a stream of pure energy that is unpolluted by any sort of indoctrination. Without the virus of hype and commercialization. This way I can operate with metaphysical subjects and not rely on the preconceived traditional traits of a visual representation.

My recent paintings and sculptures were oriented on the tremendous amount of detail any  subject has. Inside of every tiny bit of life or matter gazillions of meanings are present that provide unending amounts of interest and inspiration. Anything is art it's just a question of singling it out. During the act of making, connection to the source is instant.

My decision making technique is based on the fact I collaborate with nature before creating a piece. Many times I would walk on my future canvases for month so that the cloth would absorb my painting progress occasionally drips of paint would land on it and other things that might fall onto the drop cloth during paint. Then I stretch it onto a wall and look for the patterns that nature gave me already, this way each of my paintings would have a soul right from the start. Nature is my guide and my mentor. I try to follow it's patterns from the natural folds and spots to the max, getting rid of some things or adding to the preformed creases. I research prehistoric and ancient art to look for clues. At the same time even if the shapes look acceptable I prefer to destroy at least two initial ideas and on top of their visual rubbles from the previous forms create what's really been hiding inside of any surface that I'm facing. My life is dedicated to art making as long as I live and breathe. It is my ultimate meaning. Everything else falls secondary.
 

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