(Artist statement)
I tell self-contained stories about unequal worlds. Working across traditional and digital painting, I keep returning to moments someone made small by facing something too big to face. A political system, a crowd, a landscape. Sometimes it is another person, sometimes nature itself.
I use magical realism and altered scale to make that imbalance visible and physical. What interests me is the space between power and vulnerability, when the distinction between them begins to blur, and what such encounters do to a person. My works share my fascination with the subtle absurdity of this reality, its hidden magic and latent horrors.
On set — London, 2025
In studio — London, 2026
Vladimir Zhdanov is a London-based multidisciplinary artist and storyteller from Moscow, working across drawing, painting, poster art, computer arts and animation. His work blends magical realism with social and political themes, using dreamlike visuals and metaphor to reflect on the present.
He moves fluidly between still and moving image and works largely independently, guiding each project from concept to final form.
HSE University, Moscow
Animation & Illustration
School of Visual Arts, New York
MFA, Computer Arts
Kingston University, London
MA Filmmaking — Merit
SELECTED RECOGNITION
Poster Stellars International Awards
Finalist — “Farewell, Loosers”, 2025
Independent Shorts Awards
Finalist — “Happy Place”, 2025
Gardens of Life: Silent Seeds
POSK Gallery, London — “Parasomnia”, Jan 2026