Between Real & Surreal
Interview with Russian modern artist — Rodion Kitaev
“My art captivates me at the moment. That’s why I do it.”
“It’s important to me that those who look at my works are interested. I want them to have associations, open up some new meanings. I never ever impose my interpretation, although sometimes I write comments on this or that work. But it’s much more important what you experience when looking at each piece of art. What do you think and feel? My art captivates me at the moment. That’s why I do it. That’s simple. I don’t want my works to be shocking or provocative. I don’t need them to force people to think hard. I want them to please viewers and make them smile. Feel something wonderful even for a tiny moment. All my pieces are about something that excites me in our world. Sometimes abstract, sometimes recognizable.
This horrible thing with coronavirus and quarantine cannot be ignored. So lately it has become something very significant for me as well as for many people on the planet. That’s why some of my new pieces are devoted to this topic. I’ve created a character that looks like a plague mask. It’s codename is «Goose» as in the Disney cartoon. A comic image balancing between reality, with all its dangers and phobias, and the surreal world. This is my reflection of what is happening. In general my works are always very personal, even intimate. They’re about our memory, consciousness, peculiarities of perception. Now I’m working on a new series of canvases about modern cinema or rather inspired by cinema.
I follow many artists from all around the world. Mostly online now. There are so many things that are inspiring. That stimulates me to search and to create. Our life is full of inspiration, you just need to be open minded enough so you won’t miss it.
I like the worldwide trend of humanization. It would be great if we were kinder to each other. I am also really worried about all these ecological problems. They’ve no boundaries. We can’t hide anywhere and pretend that the climate is okay. Because it’s not. And every year it turns more and more frightening. The question is, what we do about it. And this is among other things the key-task of art. Humanization and intellectualization can probably save us. I hope so. Art is an integral part of this complex process. Painting, literature, theatre, opera and everything beautiful.
Art came into my life when I was nine. At first there was an art lyceum where we painted for several hours a day. Not sure if it was useful or not as at this age you probably have no clear plan for the future. Still it determined my artistic destiny somehow. In university I was captivated by contemporary art. And I’ve also been creating illustrations for a long time. I had to learn and to practice it on my own because I wanted to do something completely different from what we’ve been taught in art classes. At some point, I began to think about trying myself in other fields of art. And I realized that they are pretty close. For instance, easel painting, graphics. I was interested in conceptual and post-conceptual art, but did not find myself in it, so I returned to the good old practices. Painting is not all fashioned, it’s as vivid as life itself.
I tend to be pretty pessimistic, but in the process of working it all disappears somehow. Perhaps this is my escape from the real perception. When I work I find myself in a completely different isolated space. I believe that one cannot define what art should be like today. What it should broadcast. Let all the flowers bloom. Yes, there is a lot of negativity in art, but this is how some artists perceive reality. And they definitely have the right to create the art they want. No guidelines needed. Diversity is much more important.”
To see more of Rodion’s works and thoughts, visit our website www.vividme.art
