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Perhaps the most revealing graffiti art in the world?

By Anna Liesowska
10 June 2014

Young women queue to be painted by 20 year old body artist Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag.

'No, this is not a tattoo, but it still took me five hours to put it on'. Picture: Pasha Znag

Pasha has become an internet sensation in Russia with his body art - said to resemble carvings - on young models who are volunteering in their droves to be painted by him. 

'I call this style graffiti body art, and myself a graffiti artist', he told The Siberian Times.

Many people might think Pasha has the luckiest hobby in the world. 

He doesn't pay the models but has no shortage of women - mostly aged from 20 to 22 - who want to experience his artistic talent for themselves.  

'You see from the images, these are not just pictures, there is a font, letters. I write my name 'Znag' there,  like all the graffiti artists. 

'All the drawings have my name written in my own style, on the different parts of bodies and designed differently'.

Young women queue to be painted naked by 20 year old body artist Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag.


Young women queue to be painted naked by 20 year old body artist Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag.


Young women queue to be painted naked by 20 year old body artist Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag.


Young women queue to be painted naked by 20 year old body artist Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag.


Young women queue to be painted naked by 20 year old body artist Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag.

'All the drawings have my name written in my own style, on the different parts of bodies and designed differently'. Pictures: Vershinin, Pasha Znag

A third year student of Art and Design faculty of the Bashkiria State Pedagogical University in Ufa, he said: 'I want to become a designer, and right now I am very keen on body art. I liked it very soon after I entered university, and I keep mastering my skills for the third year now. 

'The 'carving' body art, the idea just came into my head somehow.

'I don't even remember if I was inspired by somebody else's works. I don't think so in fact. I just thought this must be possible to do, tried it and liked the result. I only doing it when I am in the mood, its nothing to do with business. 

'These kinds of body art take quite a long of time - four or five hours - to make and it doesn't last long as I am using acrylic markers for it'.

Pasha wants to do a calendar to publish his work. 

'We do not pay our models, the girls help me voluntarily,' he said. 'We pay for the rental of the studio, the photographer, and the markers - so we have no money left to pay the models. We do not have some profit, it is all just for the art.'

'Actually we do not talk to much during the process. I don't know much about them'.

Young women queue to be painted naked by 20 year old body artist Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag.

'We do not pay our models, the girls help me voluntarily'. Picture: Dmitriev

Pasha's parents take his art work in their stride.

'My mother graduated from the graphic arts department where I study now. And she is now a lecturer here. My father is a carver, he works with bark - makes caskets, casings for icons, boxes and so on. I think that maybe his works influenced me somehow because I saw his works constantly since my childhood.

'I grew up in this atmosphere. Father's exhibitions often were at home. 

'I saw how he works and this could affect me. It is not so easy to distinguish when you live and grow up in all this atmosphere, but I think it could be so.'

He laughs: 'So my parents take this all ok'.

He now wants to do a calendar to publish his work.     'We do not pay our models, the girls help me voluntarily,' he said.     'We pay for the rental of the studio, the photographer, and the markers - so we have no money left to pay the models. We do not have some profit, it is all just for the art.'    He added: 'Actually we do not talk to much during the process. I don't know much about them'.


He now wants to do a calendar to publish his work.     'We do not pay our models, the girls help me voluntarily,' he said.     'We pay for the rental of the studio, the photographer, and the markers - so we have no money left to pay the models. We do not have some profit, it is all just for the art.'    He added: 'Actually we do not talk to much during the process. I don't know much about them'.

Pavel Dorofeev aka Pasha Znag, 20, from Ufa. Pictures: Dmitriev, Pasha Znag

Pasha also works with photographers, especially Evgeny Vershinin, Darya Dubinina and Albert Muzafarov (aka Albert Rosso).

Some of his designs have been copied as tattoos, and he is considering working with a tattoo artist to make his body art more permanent. 

For now, it washes away again in the shower. 

Pasha has lived all his life in Ufa, capital of the oil-rich Republic of Bashkortostan.

Comments (2)

Very nice!
Doc, US
22/09/2014 10:55
2
0
wow the first two pictures:) good job Pasha! so young and talented
Mark, Italy
10/06/2014 14:19
7
0
1

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