The States of Water
Paintings by Valentin Popov
2/23 - 3/13/2026
HOHMANN
44651 Village Court, Palm Desert, California
Water is life. Without it, nothing survives. In its many forms—still or moving, frozen or turbulent, sustaining or destructive—water becomes a potent metaphor for existence itself. It reflects the rhythms of life: moments of calm and clarity, periods of suspension and accumulation, and episodes of sudden, irreversible change.
Born in Ukraine, Valentin Popov is a second-generation painter whose artistic lineage is inseparable from his practice. Like his father before him, Popov was elected to the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, a rare distinction that underscores his standing within the canon of contemporary painting. He is the only American citizen to receive this honor. His work is held in more than twenty public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Crocker Art Museum, and has been exhibited extensively across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Most recently, Popov was awarded the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, honoring his lifelong contributions to painting and his enduring influence within the international art community.
In The States of Water, Popov turns to water as both subject and language. Waves advance and retreat in measured rhythms; icebergs hover in a state of suspended time; avalanches surge forward with unstoppable force. Even the most tranquil scenes carry an undercurrent of tension, reminding us that stillness is never truly static. Water, here, is not descriptive—it is experiential.
Across these works, water becomes a lens through which Popov reflects on time and the stages of life. At moments, experience flows freely; at others, it crystallizes or stalls, gathering pressure beneath the surface. There are moments of reflection and accumulation, and moments when everything gives way.
Popov’s work deliberately resists narrative illustration or topical commentary. His art transcends day-to-day politics, aspiring instead toward permanence. Yet it is telling that at a time when global instability intensified and war returned to the country of his birth, Popov focused not on spectacle or outrage, but on water—its endurance, its adaptability, and its quiet, unstoppable force.
In an era defined by acceleration and noise, art offers a different register of experience. It asks us to slow down, to observe, and to consider what endures beyond the urgency of the moment. Craftsmanship, material intelligence, and the human desire to leave something meaningful behind operate outside the news cycle. In this sense, art can function both as anchor and compass, helping us retain balance when everything else feels in motion.
Popov’s paintings invite viewers into a moment of stillness and perspective. They remind us that the fundamental forces shaping our world long predate us and will persist long after we are gone. Water was present at the formation of the planet and will remain when our own histories have receded into footnotes.
To pause, to exhale, and to reflect on what truly matters—without denying the turbulence of our time—is among the great challenges of the present moment. In The States of Water, Valentin Popov offers not escape, but orientation, guiding us back to what is elemental, enduring, and profoundly human.
VIEW ALL WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION