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showcased his artworks at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019, ahead of the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death in 2021. Set in the heart of the Arsenale Nord district of Venice, he showed In Dante Veritas, which is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. It uses Dante’s 100 vices as a starting point, showcasing 30 sculptures that represent the vices we suffer the most from in modern day. They included flattery, gloom, and anger, as well as betrayal and pollution. “It’s not about sins, it’s about vices,” he said about the piece. “There’s a big difference; if you accept vices daily, it could become a sin,” said Klyukin. “When I smoke, I accept the vice of suicide. If I eat more than I should, I accept gluttony. The more vices you accept, the darker you are. But everyone can be strong inside.” Klyukin says that the “Betrayal” sculpture started the entire In Dante Veritas series. “I’m half-Russian, half-Israeli,” he said. “I took advice from advisors, religious figures. I asked a Rabbi, who said ‘You have to forgive people who betrayed you, otherwise you keep the evil going inside of you.’ Now, I don’t feel any more pain or anger.” He showcased his artworks at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2018 and 2021, respectively. “Miami is becoming more of an art hub, unlike any other city,” said Klyukin. “At Art Basel, it was an honor to be presented among so many outstanding artists.” He recently had a sprawling retrospective at the Osthaus Museum Hagen in Hagen, Germany, called Mind Space. Featuring over 250 works, it looked into the mind of the artist, and how he helps people realize the power of believing in the impossible and following their own dreams. “I’ve studied the museum space and was preparing for the exhibition for over a year, creating works specifically for this place, taking into account its scale and heights,” he said. “I was able to go all out, trying not to showcase separate art objects, but to turn each room into a single art space. I did something similar in Arsenale Nord during the Venice Biennale. It’s also special because it’s the first ever museum of contemporary art in the world.” He also recently showed at the Osthaus Museum as part of their Innenleben (meaning “inner life”). The group exhibition looked at how artists view human experience, from self-portraits to portraits, and abstract works. This is where Klyukin showcased his artworks alongside 70 artists, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Andy Warhol, among others. “Two of my works that entered the museum’s collection, including the homage to Joseph Beuys, called Joseph Beuys 100, are also shown at this exhibition,” said the artist. Today, the artist is represented by the Serge Sorokko Gallery in San Francisco, which is where he recently showcased his latest artworks in a solo exhibition. “This is the first time I’m being represented by an American art gallery, and I do hope that our collaboration will be long and productive,” said Klyukin. And one of his sculptures from his In Dante Veritas series called Gluttony was recently acquired by the Das Seewerk Museum in Moers Germany, as of May, and will be on permanent