[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I’m glad we managed to schedule the interview. We met the last time at Creativeworld in Frankfurt and you have been busy since then. We are very curious and eager for more information. But we will start from the beginning.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
Ah, I was so excited to meet you at Creativeworld!.. Hahnemuhle\u2019s stands are always so inspiring and full of various paper treasures\u2026 along with stunning artworks! It reminds me of the very same feeling I had as a child when I saw the vintage photos of my family in pre-revolutionary Leningrad. I still remember the boxes with the old painterly postcards and letters hidden in a massive wooden writing desk. The colors, textures, shapes, and shadows fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Other artists, writers, musicians, and creative people often mention that the age around 11 is the very essence of your artistic self. So when you have doubts or a creative block, you can always travel in time to that very moment and remember why you love what you\u2019re doing. Art is part of my personality, and it turned out I had enough dedication to make a career out of it![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”21250″ img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
Nothing fascinated me more than drawing and creating, but the formal, cold approach of classic art school in St. Petersburg didn\u2019t resonate with my character. I still remember the cold evenings spent in art school without heating in an old former mansion standing between Soviet buildings. Though I did get constant appreciation from art teachers, I clearly saw that the academic way wasn\u2019t for me. So Publishing was an ideal combination of creative output and a more technical or practical profession. Already in my first year, I began taking small commissions that I found online on freelance sites. Then I got a fantastic opportunity to illustrate The Devil\u2019s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce as a gift edition. I was so-so nervous! I did more than 40 ink illustrations and sent them to the Publisher. The next day he contacted me saying that the client was so impressed that he doubled my honorary. It not only paid for the next semester but made me believe in the pivotal idea. The idea that working as illustrator and artist professionally is possible. It\u2019s funny that even the word \u201cillustrator\u201d didn\u2019t exist in the legal market in Russia \u2014 it was still a \u201ccreative editor\/technical artist\u201d from Soviet times. But it was clear that the possibilities of the international creative scene were unlimited if you had skills and kept the deadline. So I took that leap of faith![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
At some point, while working as a freelance designer-illustrator, I\u2019ve asked myself: What\u2019s next? How do you make a career out of it if you\u2019re not in the office and won\u2019t get a promotion? How to feel more confident? So I started to send my artworks to international art contests. One of my works won, and I was accepted to the Society of Illustrators. Can you imagine how excited I was? The members were some art heroes whose books I\u2019ve been eyeing as a kid for hours. The membership was beneficial for gaining confidence and taking a leap of faith to move away from design entirely to the field of illustration and fine art. That was the first step toward gaining the recognition I\u2019ve been dreaming of.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”21260″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
It was an ordinary day. I’ve checked e-mails sorting out regular spam from “famous” producers looking for new stars and work for exposure \u2026and then saw a short note from the official Netflix marketing department. They’ve casually asked if I’m interested in a collab and want to learn more. I remember mentioning it to my husband (he got used to inquiries from graphomaniac writers or other charismatic characters), and he just said: “Hmm, interesting”. So we scheduled a call, which turned into a fantastic project that took my art career to another level. It opened the doors to things I never thought possible. After some time, I was contacted by the Maison Margiela, suggesting an artistic collaboration with John Galliano. This collab is one of my most unique projects so far. I worked on waders spliced with wooden Tabi clogs, hand-painted with contemporary illustrations in the style of Delft Blue, distorting its classic imagery into motifs that look pretty from afar but reveal a more sinister reality when studied in detail. It was a part of the ‘Artisanal’ Collection<\/a> in the film “A Folk Horror Tale<\/a>“\u2026The full-length feature film by Olivier Dahan. You can find the entire movie on Maison Margiela’s channel or some parts on my website.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”21259″ img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]