Dmitry Oskin

Dmitry Oskin is a London-based Photographer and Artist. The subject of Art has always been of interest to him from a very young age, winning national drawing competitions at ages 14 and 16.

Originally, Dmitry trained as a Fashion Stylist and began working on film and photo shoots - and it’s here where the young artist started to blossom and realise his talent and interest in the art of Photography. Living his life to date in the world of Fashion, Oskin’s earlier work was heavily focused on fashion photography, which also makes perfect sense once one learns he studied at the London College of Fashion. This fascination with fashion continues to shine through and influence his more recent body of works - in particular two series entitled “Butterflies” and “Illusions” which spotlight the intricacies of taxidermied butterflies and beetles on a magnificent scale. Even though the works aren’t photographs of women in beautiful dresses and dramatic make-up, the viewer can still feel the same, strong sense of femininity and can imagine playing dress-up in the wings of Oskin’s butterflies and the bold colours and reflectiveness of his beetles armour - they are fashion icons in their own right and Oskin ensures they are seen in their most beautiful selves by utilising his incredible skills and expert eye.

The juxtaposition between the actual tiny size of the bugs and the huge size that Oskin impressively chooses to present them in is really quite striking and an important part of these works. With the Butterflies, the viewer can see details that they would never normally be able to with the naked eye - they almost feel 3d like you could reach out and touch the fluffiness of the wings - they look like they’ve been constructed out of fabric, like they could be delicate ball gown dresses fit for a red carpet. The Beetles, titled “Illusion”, have been painstakingly placed in post-production to create the look of a high-end brooch or piece of jewellery - its only once the viewer gets closer that they realise that the images are made up of meticulous single exposures of different types of beetles. These photographic artworks are the Diamond ring, the Rolex watch, the classic Chanel bag of your home’s wardrobe.

Dmitry has been collecting the taxidermy beasties for a number of years now, so much so that he now has a remarkable antique wooden chest at his West London home, this is one of his most prized possessions and is deemed his “Cabinet of Curiosities”. Here is where his precious models are kept - thousands of them, just waiting for their turn in the limelight. It’s truly fascinating to watch the photographer at work, carefully setting up the tiny studio and handling each insect with the utmost care as he transfers them from their chest to the studio and back again - his process is an amazing one and the way in which he almost brings these lifeless little insects back to life with his creativity and expert eye for colour, is magical.

Dmitry continues to work in his studio, creating more photographic artworks, whilst taking on private and commercial commissions. He has experienced various cultures through travels to South America, South East Asia and islands in the Indian Ocean which have deeply influenced his artistic outlook. He has exhibited internationally and has a number of sold-out exhibitions in his repertoire, along with an impressive private showing room at Photo London at Somerset House in 2021.