Igor Shirshkov was born in 1962 in Ulan-Ude, graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Irkutsk Polytechnic Institute. Upon graduation, he actively participates in art exhibitions, promotions, projects. He has organized and participated in international projects jointly with German and French artists: “Purity”, Lake Baikal; “Promenade in the port of Duran”, Strasbourg, “Kurykanskaya wall”, Olkhon island. In the late ‘90s, he joined the Union of Designers and the Union of Artists of Russia. In 2006 he defended his Ph.D. thesis on “The principles of the formation of the artistic and plastic language of K. Malevich as a sign system within the context of the culture of the XX century”. Author of the monograph “Questions of composition in the sacred visual system”.

As a contemporary artist, Igor is interested in the relationship between the structure of the world and signs and symbols. He explores the structure of the universe as a sign, symbolic system and abstraction of metaphysical reality. Originally an architect, Igor attaches great importance to the compositional structure of a painting, as well as lines and contours that define clear boundaries between color spots or object shape. He creates his own unique style, imbued with the thoroughness of the author and a positive outlook.

The artist’s artworks can be found in the State Russian Museum; the Moscow Museum of Modern Art; the National Center for Contemporary Arts (NCCA); the New Museum in St. Petersburg; the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Libreville; in regional art museums of Irkutsk, New Jerusalem, Krasnoyarsk, Tyumen, Krasnodar, etc.
Main solo exhibitions: 1993 - Rendezvous Gallery, Strasbourg, France.
1993 - Gallery of the Academy of the German Ministry, Karlsruhe.
2004 - Irkutsk Regional Art Museum, “Night Flower”.
2004 - Central House of Artists, “Immersion in a book”, Moscow.
2005 - School of Dramatic Art, Moscow.
2006 - XX Century’s Gallery in Pai Chai University, Republic of Korea.
2007 - Museum Center on Strelka within the framework of the 7th Museum Biennale in Krasnoyarsk.
2009 - Vincent Gallery. Clinch project with Sergey Brukhanov, Moscow.
2013 - Museum of Nonconformist Art. White’s Movement project, St. Petersburg.
2016 - Arts Center in Libreville, Gabon.
2016 - Gallery of Fine Arts in Kraljevo, Serbia.
2017 - State Russian Museum, project “Structures”, Marble Palace, St. Petersburg.
2017 - New Museum. Project “Architectural Abstractionism”, St. Petersburg.
2018 - “Cartography”, Gallery of Fine Arts in Novi Pazar, Serbia.
2019:- Irkutsk Regional Art Museum, “Tales of the Forgotten Rabbi”;
- “Lucky Break”, Burgersaal, Konstanz, Germany;
- Academy of Arts of the Russian Federation “Picturesque Russia”,
- Omsk Art Museum. Interregional project “Energy of Abstraction”,
- Union of Architects of Russia. Project “Architectural co-working”, Moscow.