Collection: Ivan Bubentcov

Ivan Bubentcov was born in a small town outside Moscow, where art education received little support from the Soviet state. However, his childhood talent was encouraged by his parents. He received basic artistic training, attended a secondary technical school for fine arts, and eventually graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry. In the post-Soviet years, Russia experienced greater artistic freedom and a loosening of taboos surrounding homosexuality. Ivan began to explore homosexuality in his art, influenced by artists such as Tom of Finland and Ettienne. At first, he only shared his works with close friends until he found a suitable pseudonym: "Ivan Bubentcov"—a tongue-in-cheek play on the Russian slang for testicles—seemed perfect. After presenting his work online, he found a worldwide audience through Tumblr, which brought him attention and publications in magazines such as "The Advocate" and the Russian "Kvir."