Plush Pop Bizarre by Rinat Shingareev

by | Jun 14, 2010 | ART

Russian painter Rinat Shingareev lives in a happily bizarre world. His plush pop paintings of world icons from George Bush to Lil Wayne are warm and inviting but have a sense of something weird. From Bush secretly shedding a tear for NASA to Putin against a backdrop of purple camouflage to a floating Obama head in a sunflower, the artist is letting us in on a joke like the sly smile of the Mona Lisa and having fun with his audience.


self portrait



Russian painter Rinat Shingareev lives in a happily bizarre world. His plush pop paintings of world icons from George Bush to Lil Wayne are warm and inviting but have a sense of something weird. From Bush secretly shedding a tear for NASA to Putin against a backdrop of purple camouflage to a floating Obama head in a sunflower, the artist is letting us in on a joke like the sly smile of the Mona Lisa and having fun with his audience.


self portrait

R. Anthony Harris

R. Anthony Harris

In 2005, I created RVA Magazine, and I'm still at the helm as its publisher. From day one, it’s been about pushing the “RVA” identity, celebrating the raw creativity and grit of this city. Along the way, we’ve hosted events, published stacks of issues, and, most importantly, connected with a hell of a lot of remarkable people who make this place what it is. Catch me at @majormajor____




more in art

Waitress is the Show for Anyone Who has Ever Worked a Double

A woman works in a diner. The kind with refills, regulars, and fluorescent lights that never quite turn off. She’s married to a man who doesn’t deserve her. She bakes pies that are better than most people deserve. And she wants out. That’s Waitress, more or less....

Why Norfolk’s NEON District Works—and What Richmond Can Learn

In 2013, a two-day event transformed a neglected stretch of Norfolk, Virginia, into a pop-up arts district. It wasn’t a city plan—it was a vision. Volunteers opened temporary galleries in boarded-up storefronts. Food trucks rolled in. Sidewalks were painted with...

Waynesboro Wakes up: What Happens When a Town Believes Again

There’s nothing quite like being in the wilds of Virginia. Like Johnny Cash said, “I’ve been everywhere, man” — but there’s a particular kind of comfort I only feel when I’m traveling within the Commonwealth. And it doesn’t get much more Virginia than heading up into...

Review | ‘SMOKE’ at Firehouse, Fire in my Belly.

Once again, a trip to the Firehouse Theatre has found a way to send me home with a boiling pit of emotions churning in my gut and fiery rants on the tips of my fingers. Art is made to provoke, not to placate, and this is what I signed up for. SMOKE, the current...

Topics: