After Sergey Barkhin graduated from the Institute of Architecture in 1962, he made his theatre debut with the Moscow "Sovremennik" Theatre. Up to date he has done the designs for over 150 productions (opera, ballet and drama) in many cities of the former USSR and abroad: in Germany, Finland, Sweden, Japan, and the Czech Republic.
He is also book illustrator. He has designed books by over twenty classical authors, including Jacques Prevert, Juan Jimenes, Geoffrey Chaucer and Honore de Balsac.
His work has been exhibited both in Russia and abroad: in Berlin (1988) and Hannover (1995).
He is the winner of many top national (including the Silver and Gold Medal of the Academy of Arts (1991, 2015) and the prestigious Golden Mask and international prizes for designer's work (in Holland and Japan).
He is a professor at the Russian Academy of the Performing Arts.
From 1995 to 2000 Sergey Barkhin was the Principal Designer of the Bolshoi Theatre. Among his productions for the Bolshoi Theatre are La Traviata, Aida, lolanta, Francesca da Rimini, The Maid of Pskov, Nabucco, Giselle (Vladimir Vasiliev version), Don Quixote (Alexei Fadeyechev version) and various gala programs. The Opera productions were designed by him in collaboration with his sister, Ms. Tatiana Barkhina, as costume designer.