Nikolay Slobodyanik was born on January 19, 1971 in Leningrad. In 1990 he graduated from the Leningrad College of Arts named after V.A.Serov (now the Petersburg College of Arts named after N.K.Roerich) with a degree in graphic design. In 2000 Nikolay graduated from the Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (workshop of the People's Artist of Russia, winner of the State Prizes Eduard Kochergin).

Since 2001 he has been the member of the Union of Artists of Russia.

Slobodyanik is a member of the art group «The Scavengers» (graphic performances, moving objects, photographs, painting, graphics). He took part in numerous art exhibitions in Russia and abroad.

As a set and costume designer he has collaborated with a number of theatre in Russia and abroad. Among them are: Russian State Academic Drama Theatre Named After Fyodor Volkov (Yaroslavl), Krasnoyarsk Pushkin Drama Theatre, The A. Bryantsev Youth Theatre, Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater, the Theater on the Vasilevsky Island, The Saint Petersburg State Youth Theatre on the Fontanka, Maly Drama Theatre-Theatre of Europe (St Petersburg), As well as the Russian Academic Youth Theatre (RAMT), the Vakhtangov Theatre and the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (Moscow).

Laureate of the Special Jury Prize «For Scenography» at the V International Theatre Festival «Rainbow» (2004) and recipient of the prize granted by the St. Petersburg Division of the Theatre Union of the Russian Federation for the set design of Egor Chernyshov’s production of «Oblom-off» by Mikhail Ugarov (Yekaterinburg Youth Theatre).

Prize winner of the VII International Theatre Festival «Meetings in Russia» (2005) for the scenography for the performance «C major» (directed by Egor Chernyshov, the BALTIC HOUSE International Theatre Festival, St. Petersburg).