About
I am an affiliated scholar pursuing research on the genesis of
ophidian symbolism and iconography in the context of Early Jewish and Early Christian
apocalyptic imagination. My research interests include:
(1) genesis of Early Christian iconography and its relationship to classical Greco-Roman and Oriental art: reception, interpretation, appropriation, preservation, modification, and transmission;
(2) cultural interactions between Eurasian civilizations during the Hellenistic Period, Late Antiquity, and the Early Middle Ages;
(3) reptiles and composite creatures in religious imagination, mythology, and art.
From 1984 to 1989, I studied at the Department of History of the Astrakhan State Pedagogical Institute, specializing in
the cultural history of the early Iranian nomads (focusing on the worldview, mythology, religious beliefs, and art of the Scythians and Sarmatians). I participated in seven
archaeological expeditions in Southern Russia (including three conducted by the Institute of Archaeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences). From 1991 to 1994, I completed postgraduate studies in philosophy at St. Petersburg State University. In 1995, I defended my
thesis (
Orthodox Iconology and Sophiology in the Concrete Metaphysics of Pavel Florensky) and received my PhD in the History and Philosophy of Religion.
Since moving to Canada in 1997, I have worked in the high-tech industry as a
UX/UI specialist. My portfolio includes a variety of digital projects for such major Canadian educational institutions and museums as the Canadian Historical Association, the Museum of Civilization (now the Museum of Canadian History), and the National Gallery of Canada. In July 2019 I was appointed an
Adjunct Professor at the Department of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa.
I have conducted numerous
photo-expeditions around the world collecting the
visual records of ophidian iconography in various cultural contexts. These are the highlights of my trips (year indicates the latest visit to the location):
