Ilya Orlov

Ilya Orlov (1973) is a conceptual artist and theorist based in Helsinki. Orlov’s works have been shown as part of Manifesta 10 (2014), commissioned by the biennial. In 2018, Orlov was shortlisted for the Finnish Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale (in collaboration with Joanna Warsza, Minna Henriksson, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Ahmed Al-Nawas, Gianni Talamini). In 2019, Orlov was granted the Merita Foundation Scholarship, which was publicly awarded in May 2019 at the Research Pavilion in Venice. Orlov is the founder and editor-in-chief of the new independent international journal for conceptual art Shy Plumber.


During my HIAP residency, I am walking around Suomenlinna fortifications; thinking over the questions of what makes art art, and can one make artworks that would not be art; and editing a new independent conceptual art periodical Shy Plumber: a journal of art and anti-art.

Ilya Orlov’s residency is part of the Connecting Points programme supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture.