Denis Kryuchkov has been exploring visual arts since childhood. He received a fine arts education at the Ryazan Art College and later graduated from the Moscow State University of Arts and Industry named after Stroganov with a degree in graphics. In 2000, he was admitted as a member of the Moscow Union of Artists. As an artist, Kryuchkov has explored various forms of visual expression, including drawing, painting, graphic design, book illustration, interior design, animation, set design, video, and film.

 

Kryuchkov made his directorial debut in 2004 by creating music videos for underground rappers such as Noggano, Guf, Basta, and others. He has also created several mockumentaries about contemporary art. Since the late 1990s, he has been creating stage design for Russian music shows. In 2009, he staged the Monteverdi opera at the Châtelet in Paris to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Diaghilev Seasons.

 

Kryuchkov has participated in numerous exhibitions worldwide, including the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Moscow Biennale, Archstoyanie (Nikola-Lenivets), I Believe (Winzavod, Moscow). He has created collaborative artworks together with the renowned artist Oleg Kulik.

 

He is one of the founders of the creative unions Gazgolder and Saturnaliy, as well as the GazGalery. Additionally, he has served as a producer for musical groups, including Basta/Noggano in 2005-2008, among others.

 

With a lifelong passion for martial arts, Kryuchkov continues to hone his skills to this day. He studies traditional Chinese martial arts and Taoist practices, learning from old-generation masters with a direct transmission from Master Li Qimin, a renowned martial arts expert and keeper of the Liang Baguazhang style tradition.

 

Selected Filmography:

"I Believe" (2008) — Documentary (Director, Screenwriter, Cameraman, Editor)

The concert of rapper Basta (2008) — Documentary (Producer, Director)

"Tea Drunkard" (2008) — Feature Film (Director, Screenwriter, Cameraman, Editor)

"Alive, or Iceman Chronicles" (2011) — Feature Film (Director, Screenwriter, Cameraman, Editor)

"Ditches" (2009) — Feature Film (Director, Editor)

"1610" (2009) — Feature Film (Director, Screenwriter, Animation, Editor)

"Ammonite" (2016) — Web Series (Director, Screenwriter, Editor)

"Full Contact" (2018) — Short Film (Director, Editor)

"Russian Raid" (2020) — Feature Film (Director)

"Through the Sky" (2020) — Short Animated Film (Director, Animation, Editor)

"The Wirlpool" (2022) — Feature Film (Director)