Bob Basset

Bob Basset provided art objects as lots for two auctions of war trophies and art "History in Objects", which took place in the Lviv Municipal Art Center in the summer of 2022. One of the objects was sold for UAH 55,000 (USD 1900 approx.) at the starting price UAH 29,542, becoming the most expensive lot of the first auction. In total, UAH 205,510 was collected at the auction. The funds were directed to the UAID charity fund for the purchase of needed items for the front line.

In 2022, Serhiy Petrov was included in the anthology of modern Ukrainian visual art "Unknown Art. Artistic reflections. Ukraine after 2013" by Olesya Gerashchenko (Shambur), published by “Osnovy” publishing house. The collection with 100 reproductions and 50 interviews with artists, art critics and curators included "Maidan Mask", created by the studio in 2013.

Swedish rock band Ghost has ordered 8 masks from Bob Basset for the Imperatour 2022 world tour. Products in the form of gas masks are created in a style close to steampunk from leather, brass and horns (they were made from real cow horns). The studio for the first time made copies of one product, Serhii Petrov says, because Ghost required 8 custom-made masks. Also, two-meter dragon wings were made by Bob Basset for the soloist of the band.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Bob Basset created a design for a new mask that could be used as a temporary replacement for or in addition to virus-protection masks. The mask's design is simple, and making it requires only five minutes, an A4 paper sheet, several stationery rubber bands, and scissors. Serhii Petrov said that his mask could be useful in prevention of the virus' spread through airborne droplets if a sick person wore it, but emphasized that it didn't directly protect people from the virus.

In 2020, Bob Basset masks "Steam Vibes" and "Loudspeaker Master" were used in a music video for the song "Flames" by British pop-singer Zayn featuring British musicians Jungleboi and Dutch DJ R3hab.

In 2019, Bob Basset presented his new collection "Turnskin."

In 2019, a part of the Objects exhibition and the Bob Basset installation "Calvary" ("Golgotha") were displayed at the Ukrainian Fashion Week. This was the artists' first time at the UFW as a part of partnered project and the first time Bob Basset presented the "Calvary" installation in public.

A number of masks belong to an international collection of Richard Neufeld (a coordinator of design and visual art program in Canadian Cambrian College), and in 2018 were provided by the owner for the Curious Couture: Fab Fashions & Personal Collections exhibition in Sudbury, Canada.

In 2018, Bob Basset masks became the key accessory in the duo's new music video for the song "Rooftops."

In 2018, Peruvian artist Conrad Florez invited Bob Basset and Gamlet Zinkivskyi to bring their art to an exhibition in Lima, Peru. Ukrainian artists took part in the exhibition negro at the Monumental Callao Art center alongside Conrad Florez and another artist, Andrea Barreda. Bob Basset presented six masks in Lima. Later, a local gallery owner purchased both Bob Basset and Zinkivskyi pieces.

In 2018, the first joint exhibition of Bob Basset and Gamlet Zinkivskyi, Objects, took place in the Yermilov Centre in the artists' native city Kharkiv, Ukraine. More than 2,000 people visited the exhibition during the first weekend, and more than 15,000 people visited during the whole run making it the most visited exhibition in the history of the art center at the time.

In 2017, Bob Basset masks were used in a fashion show by the Italian brand Balossa. The collection was presented at the Lviv Fashion Week 2017, and all the models' looks were complemented with Bob Basset masks and accessories. A year later, Bob Basset provided masks for the shoe brand Ganor Dominic's photo shoot.

Bob Basset masks are often bought for the international and Ukrainian private collections. As of 2017, the biggest Ukrainian Bob Basset collection, containing 22 masks, belonged to Kiyv restaurateur, Dmitry Borisov.

In 2017, Bob Basset masks were exhibited in the Italian clothing brand Balossa's collection at the Lviv Fashion Week fashion show.

As most Bob Basset pieces have been purchased by international collectors, it wasn't easy to arrange an exhibition in Ukraine, but in 2017, Bob Basset hosted a preview of the studio's first ever retrospective exhibition, Entity, in parfum büro gallery in Kyiv, Ukraine. Later the same year, the exhibition was displayed at the Bereznitsky Aesthetics gallery in Kyiv. Many of the exhibited items were borrowed for display from private collections in Paris, New York, Tokio, Milan, Seoul, and London.

Also in 2017, Bob Basset was first exhibited in the studio's native city, Kharkiv, Ukraine. The special exhibition, Art&Fashion: New Dimension, was held at the Yermilov Centre during Museum Night, an international project with more than 1,000 world institutions participating. The Bob Basset exhibition was considered one of the main events of the whole Museum Night project, and was available to the public for only one night.

In 2016, Bob Basset was included in a list of nine revolutionary Ukrainian designers. The studio's items were highly appraised by the founder of the steampunk style, William Gibson, filmmaker and artist David Lynch, and post-cyberpunk and science fiction author Cory Doctorow. Bob Basset created masks and other items for the Givenchy brand and stylists Panos Yiapanis and Riccardo Tisci. The studio also worked with the Ukrainian brands sasha.kanevski and L'UVE (partnering with the designer Valeria Kovalska). A mask from the Bob Basset collection "Mashrabiya" was used in Hollywood actress Elizabeth Banks' photo shoot. A number of Bob Basset masks were created for a movie produced by Ridley Scott Associates (RSA Films) and Michael Bay, for the movie Metallica: Through the Never, and were used to promote the American TV show The Last Ship. Bob Basset masks were used in a number of music videos for bands and artists. From 2013, Bob Basset creates masks for Sid Wilson from the music band Slipknot; the studio also worked with Metallica, Korn, Avril Lavigne, Otep, Tantric, Zayn, British DJ Jungleboi, Dutch DJ R3hab, Beissoul & Einius, Ghost. Bob Basset created gaming design pieces for the international company Plarium, and a mask for the Iron Custom Motocycles speed record project.

In 2016, Vogue International listed Bob Basset as one of nine revolutionary Ukrainian designers. The studio's art was published in the magazines Vogue International, The New York Times Fashion Magazine, WAD, Vice U.K., Bizarre, METCHA, L'Uomo Vogue, INSIDE Artzine, Trendson, and others.

In 2016, Bob Basset created a biker's mask for an Iron Custom Motocycles speed record motorcycle project called Inspirium.

In 2016, Bob Basset partnered with another Ukrainian artist for the first time: Gamlet Zinkivskyi. The project was a video called "Secret Room" that was presented at the Addiction a L’oeuvre festival in Paris.

In 2016, Bob Basset masks were used for a photo project shot by the photographer Dmitry Komissarenko in Design Scene magazine. The masks were worn by the duet Beissoul & Einius.

The next year, a new Bob Basset mask collection named "ΣΑΛΩΜΗΣ" was presented at the Ukrainian Fashion Week 2015. The collection consisted of five items that could be used as both masks and handbags.

In 2015–2016, Bob Basset created ironic collections of masks for eggs. A 2015 collection, named "Survivors" portrayed eggs that survived Easter wearing mini-versions of masks created in previous years. The 2016 egg-mask collection, named "Calvary" (or Golgotha), consisted of mini-versions of other Bob Basset masks meaningful to the creator, and portrayed the participants of an "evangelical crucifixion." In 2019, as the World Record Egg became popular around the world, Bob Basset's egg exposition gained new meaning.

Bob Basset also created personal collections: "Mashrabiya" (2014), "Survivors" (2015), "Calvary" (or "Golgotha") (2016), and "Turnskin" (2019).

In 2014, Bob Basset presented a new collection of masks and accessories called "Mashrabiya" during the Ukrainian Fashion Week. The main element of the collection was a pattern from traditional Arabic architecture. Beside masks, the collection included leather accessories such as bags, clutches, bracelets, and iPad cases.

The Mask of Maidan became a symbol of political repressions in Ukraine. It was dedicated to the media representatives who worked in war zones and suffered injuries there. In 2014, the mask was auctioned on eBay, and the studio donated all of the profit to Hromadske.TV, which, in Petrov's opinion, was one of the last representatives of independent Ukrainian journalism. During the Ukrainian revolution and the beginning of the Made in Ukraine Movement, Bob Basset received another spur of recognition in its native country.

Bob Basset studio items are often used in the cinematic world. The masks were used in a promo for the American TV show The Last Ship; Hollywood actress Elizabeth Banks used a mask from the collection "Mashrabiya" in her photo shoot for the Flaunt Magazine in 2014; and a mask was made for the main character in a New Zealand movie, The Dwarves of Demrel.

In 2013, Bob Basset masks were presented at the Berlin Fashion Week show in partnership with Ukrainian brand sasha.kanevski.

During the Ukrainian revolution of 2013–2014, Serhii Petrov took part in several pro-Ukrainian protests in Kharkiv. These events influenced both his politics and his art. "Before 2014 I did not give any importance to my origins: nothing, in my art, spoke of Ukraine. At the time I just wanted to be an artist of the world. After that year, being Ukrainian took on a completely different weight. My national identity has started to make itself felt more and more, even if what I do continues to have a global character" says Petrov. At the end of 2013, Bob Basset presented the Mask of Maidan, which looks like a baton smashing the face of its wearer. The photo of the mask was published in Dazed magazine.

In 2013, Sid Wilson from the band Slipknot asked the studio to make him a mask for his live performances. As of 2020, Bob Basset has made seven custom masks for the Slipknot turntablist to wear in music videos and during live performances. All of the Sid Wilson masks are unique; in creating "fan versions," Serhii Petrov made intentional changes, discussed with customers before purchase. In 2022, Bob Basset continued their collaboration with Slipknot and created a new mask for Slipknot's Sid Wilson. The mask was specially designed for the release of the single The Dying Song, which will be included on the new album The End, So Far. In a new look, Wilson stole the show with his appearance in "The Dying Song (Time to Sing)” music video, Revolver admits. According to Serhiy Petrov, Sid Wilson now has about 15 Bob Basset masks in his collection, but only 7 of them he ordered directly from the art studio: he bought all the others on the secondary market.

In 2013, a Bob Basset mask appeared in Avril Lavigne's music video of the song "Rock'N'Roll."

In 2012, Bob Basset partnered on projects with two Ukrainian brands: sasha.kanevski and L'UVE (partnering with the designer Valeria Kovalska).

In 2012, Bob Basset's steampunk gas mask was plagiarized by the company Design Toscano, which put their version up for sale on eBay as an originally designed product. Later, Design Toscano apologized, blaming a designer who stole the idea. Eventually, Bob Basset received a royalties for the design.

In 2011, the studio created leather Christmas tree decorations in steampunk style.

Oleg Petrov died in 2011, and his younger brother Serhii continued the business alone. Twelve years younger than his brother, Serhii also chose the manufacture of leather items as his main occupation. In the 1990s, he tried a number of other jobs, including establishing businesses and working in promotion. His work on Bob Basset goods became a "hobby," but later he returned to the art studio full-time.

In autumn 2010, Vogue Hommes published a ten-page photo shoot with models styled by Panos Yiapanis. Bob Basset leather masks were worn by every model, complementing outfits provided by fashion brands Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, and others.

In 2010, Italian clothing designer Riccardo Tisci ordered Bob Basset masks for the 2011 Givenchy Spring-Summer Men's Collection fashion show. To make the seven masks in time, the studio worked around the clock for four days.

Zac Baird, a keyboardist from the rock band Korn, wore Bob Basset masks during his performances. A mask in the form of a horse head was created in 2010 for him. In 2013, a Bob Basset mask appeared in the Metallica movie Metallica: Through the Never. The studio's masks were also used in music videos of the Otep and Tantric bands.

In 2009, Bob Basset presented the leather Paw Shoes and "lace-up, claw-bearing" mittens. Photos of the Bob Basset Paw Shoes were published in The New York Times Magazine.

In 2009, the studio made seven or eight masks for the Carl Erik Rinsch short movie called The Gift, which was part of a collaboration of five filmmakers named Parallel Lines and presented by the Ridley Scott Associates production company (RSA Films). However, only four of the masks were eventually used in the project.

In 2009, Carl Erik Rinsch used Bob Basset masks in a short movie called The Gift, a Parallel Lines project produced by the Ridley Scott Associates (RSA Films) production company. Bob Basset masks were also used in Michael Bay productions.

With the growing popularity on the internet, Bob Basset started gaining fans and clients. By 2008, the studio started to be recognized internationally with a number of articles and mentions of their work in magazines and online.

In April 2007, Bob Basset presented the Cthulhu mask.

In 2006, the studio presented the Dragon Backpack, which became famous on the internet. As of 2018, twelve years after the first presentation, the backpack remains still popular among leather-item lovers. In 2015, the news about Bob Basset's Dragon Backpack replica was reposted nearly 100 000 times and liked around 44 000 times on Facebook.

The eBay shop attracted an audience, and the brothers started to work on commission. Later, Bob Basset products were also available for purchase on Makers Market, another online handcraft marketplace. In 2006, the brothers displayed their creations to the public on a Bob Basset account on LiveJournal, a global blogging platform.

At first, the Petrov brothers didn't have enough money to afford materials, but they kept working to achieve their "ambitious goals." By 2001, with initial capital of $50, the workshop started to make leather items for Ukrainian sex shops. The internet was young at the time, so the brothers had to promote their products in person. Serhii Petrov travelled all around Ukraine to promote and deliver their leather creations. The studio was then the only local leather-item manufacturers that supplied sex shops.

The workshop officially became the Bob Basset art studio in the 2000s. From the beginning, Oleg was the lead founder. He wanted the studio to create items that "have never been made before." To ensure his creations were unique and came solely from his imagination, he lived in isolation from art books, television, blogs, and even people.

The studio was co-founded in 1989 by Serhii Petrov and his brother, Oleg, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. After Oleg's death in 2011, Serhii Petrov became the face, main artist, and manager of the brand.

The Bob Basset brand was founded in 1989 as a leather workshop in Kharkiv, Ukraine by brothers Oleg and Serhii Petrov. The studio was named after Oleg Petrov's dog, a basset hound named Bob.

In 1988, when the celebration of Halloween was just becoming common in Soviet Union through American movies, the Petrov brothers created around ten carnival masks, which they later sold. In 1989, the workshop turned its attention to work on leather accessories.

Serhii Petrov (Ukrainian: Сергій Петров; born 1976, Kharkiv, Ukraine), known professionally as Bob Basset, is a Ukrainian artist and a co-founder of an art studio under the same name.