Mihail Chemiakin
Mihail Chemiakin is a Russian painter, stage designer, sculptor and publisher, and a controversial representative of the nonconformist art tradition of St. Petersburg. His work often features the surreal grotesque, portraying the world as a colorful carnival, intimidating the viewer in its terrifying metamorphoses. Interestingly, Chemiakin, though Russian-born, signs all his works with his French name, "M. Chemiakine", though when titled, his artwork is always in Russian. Also, the placement of his signature varies from canvas to canvas: either in the lower right or lower left corners, though it is always on the bottom of the canvas. In 2001, commissioned by the City of Moscow, he created a monument "The children -victims of adult vices", a powerful group of sculptures in a park 2000 feet south of the Kremlin, behind the British Ambassador's residence.