Interviews with artists

Interviews with artists participating in Art Park

The third season of the Art Park international exhibition project is in full swing, the goal of which is to support artists in their creative development and promotion in the art market, as well as to attract residents of the metropolis and the media to the phenomenon of contemporary art. We talked with artists Ivan Yagodkin, Elizaveta Ostapenko and Svetlana Boyarkina about the future of contemporary art and ways to popularize it, and, of course, about the project itself.

To what extent, in your opinion, is it relevant and correct that the members of the RAP jury are not members of the art community, but representatives of the media, as well as famous people from the music and film fields?

I.Ya.: — Rourquoi pas! Why not? These are just those people who are constantly “boiled” in the creative process, which is close to the artist. They rather feel the work of the artist with their soul on the subconscious. According to my observations, I can say that the opinions and preferences of people from show business largely agree with the opinions of the art community. It would be interesting to see the presence of professionals from the art community, to see a coincidence – not a coincidence of tastes and understandings of the artist’s work. The presence of various cultural figures rather complements and expands the creative outlook to a variety of opinions and assessments. Nevertheless, Russian Art Park is a leader in creative experiments that contribute to interesting events in cultural life.

Artist Ivan Yagodkin

E.O.: — The opinion of any person about my work is important and interesting to me. It gives feedback that helps you move forward. Feedback and recommendations from artists and curators, that is, people from the field, are always very valuable. They give a more specific, technical assessment. And people of other professions look from the point of view of their feelings in general – whether they liked it or not. Therefore, when you are highly appreciated by such a jury, it is a completely different experience. So, your work has resonated. And then, basically, I communicate with people of my own profession, and there is always an opportunity to ask the opinion of colleagues or teachers. But to find out what an outsider thinks is rare. Even when works are exhibited at exhibitions, feedback from visitors is not often received. So thank you again for this opportunity.

S.B.: – In fact, this is of course very unusual, because as a rule, it was people from the art community who were directly related to visual art that acted on the jury. But I think that this is relevant and fresh, if only because eminent persons from the music and film scene will be able to look at contemporary art from a different perspective, and see what sometimes the “blurred look” simply does not see. In addition, art becomes the most relevant when it is observed by a mass audience, and who, if not popular people, are the trendsetters of our time.

What kind of art is the future, in your opinion?

I.Ya.: “Art has no future, it lives today and now in the present real world of fantasies, latent desires, joy – the fear of sex and death. The art of the “original” sprouts in all the artist’s experiments to be modern. Digital art, digital technologies, virtual reality, etc. are a recent phenomenon. The symbiosis of styles and trends with the use of modern technologies draws the author to new interesting ways of self-expression. Many contemporary art galleries can’t do without audio and video installations, computer paintings created using IT technologies. I am also interested in mixing techniques, experimenting with digital art and achieving interesting results, for example, in the series “Symbiosis of the Polar Spheres”, a cocktail of drafts, workbooks, sketches and computer painting was used. The future has always been in the art, where the artist, by any means and methods of self-expression, makes the viewer-participant touch the deepest strings of the human soul. The future belongs to any art. It is possible to teach to love art, but this is a mechanical approach, so if an initially subtle creative soul settles in a person, only then can one enjoy all the facets of art. Art critics at one time called me “Archaic innovator”, and one can agree with such a definition, in which the concepts of the past and the present future, reflected in my work, are intertwined.

E.O.: — The future belongs to art in general. That’s for sure. Recently, those areas that allow the viewer to become part of the process have been actively developing in the art sphere. For example, modern theater goes beyond the stage, performance art masters virtual reality, and tactile elements come to painting and sculpture. It is difficult to say what this will lead to in the future, but the trend of interaction with the viewer is clearly visible.

S.B: – As an abstract artist, I think that this is abstract art … The future belongs to him …

Artist Svetlana Boyarkina
To what extent does an event like RAP speak about the popularization  contemporary art both in our country and abroad?

I.Ya.: — The more such lovers and, in the best sense, fanatical curators like Daria Rusakova and Stella Labuzhskaya, who promote such a powerful art project, all the better! They are creative individuals and specifically related to artists. They understand and imagine the full significance of the Russian Art Park project. Being engaged in a good deed, as a popularization of Russian contemporary art on the territory of our country and abroad, Russian Art Park introduces the audience to new names of interesting artists. I am glad that the innovative approach of young, energetic curators finds fresh and out-of-the-ordinary ideas in the promotion of artists. An unblurred look at the situation with contemporary risk in our country, sociability and organization on the face. Recently, contemporary artists have been of great interest to the viewer thanks to similar, large-scale art projects. The curators of RussianArtPark help to promote the creative ideas of contemporary artists, acquaint art experts, collectors and viewers with a new wave of the creative process.

E.O.: — In recent years, more attention has been paid to contemporary art in Russia. New museums and art venues are opening. This makes me happy. Young artists have more opportunities to exhibit, and viewers get closer acquainted with contemporary art, which today, in my opinion, is still not always clear to the viewer in Russia. When communication between the artist and the viewer is established, and the industry begins to work, this helps to bring art to a higher level. So thank you RAP for your input.