Nikita Diakur: A Master of Ugly Dynamics & Unexpected Beauty in Chaos

Embracing Imperfection: The Unique Aesthetics of Nikita Diakur

Nikita Diakur’s art embraces the philosophy that mistakes can lead to beauty thanks to the unconventional use of randomness in computer simulations, which he leverages to create hypnotic visuals.

His artistic influences span from British animation to the unpredictable culture of the internet, among these Chris Shepherd, Phil Hunt, Jonathan Hodgson, and the Hodgson’s “Hilary”, along with Johannes Nyholm’s “The Tale of Little Puppetboy”, David O’Reilly’s “Please Say Something”, and Priit and Olag Pärn’s “Divers in The Rain”.

In particular, he mentions how he draws inspiration from the vibrant, quirky side of internet culture, including overlooked trash, kitsch videos, and self-help motivational sites.

At the foundation of Nikita Diakur’s work resides an exploration of absurdity, chance, and the unexpected, a narrative that often unfolds through the lens of unusual characters, dwelling in the vibrant pulse of cityscapes, where the absurd becomes the norm.

Taking this into account, Nikita Diakur’s approach is a creative alchemy of controlled chaos. By using Maxon’s Cinema 4D software, he constructs digital puppets with interconnected body parts hanging on dynamic strings, in which the software performs calculations and generates a linear simulation, often with unpredictable results. The outcome of this dynamic method is a temporary artificial distance between the artist and the software, resulting in unique and unbiased animations that fluctuate between the physically accurate and strikingly distorted, underscoring his ability to manipulate and redefine the aesthetic norms of art.

Nikita Diakur’s portfolio boasts a number of groundbreaking projects.

“Ugly”, one of his seminal works, is a fascinating study of dynamic computer simulation. Inspired by an online story about an abused cat deemed ugly, he recreated the tale in an intentionally disfigured world to illustrate its moral.

Another pivotal work, “Fest”, pays homage to the YouTube culture, specifically fail compilations. In this project, Diakur’s characters deal with extreme situations and unexpected outcomes, illustrating the essence of freedom and spontaneity.

Similarly, Nikita Diakur’s film “Backflip” explores humanity’s ever-evolving relationship and apprehension towards machine learning and Artificial Intelligence: analogous to watching a learning organism, the film follows an Avatar, the digital representation of himself, as it attempts and fails to perform a backflip. In this way, the spectator is compelled to root for the Avatar even though it is in essence an emotionless robot, underscoring Nikita Diakur’s storytelling abilities.

In 2021, his artwork “Sharing BBQ”, part of the “Ugly” series, signaled his foray into the crypto-art scene, further expanding his creative reach.

On February 2nd 2023 Nikita Diakur presented “Drone on off”, part of the second volume of “Visual Detachment” – a Fakewhale Cross Drop curated by Nifty Gateway.