Love requires nothing. Evgeniya Zaretskaya
We continue our series of interviews with the winners of the third season of the Gaudir Competition.
Puppet artist of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia (TSHR), participant of the DollArt.ru project, participant of international exhibitions in Russia and abroad. Now we can add to this the "Winner of the International Virtual Competition Gaudir 2021 in the Composition nomination" (recall that Evgenia Zaretskaya presented the composition "Born by the Earth" to our competition, which was highly appreciated by the jury)
But let us remember your earlier composition "Long Way to Sunset", presented (if I am not mistaken) at the VIII International Exhibition "Art of the Doll" in 2017. This composition consisted of five sculptures that personify "Youth", "Knowledge", "Creativity "," Wisdom "and" Memory "
Tell me, is it easier for you to express an artistic idea through a series of objects connected by a common idea? Is this way of creative self-expression the very “way” (I return to the title “The Long Way to Sunset”) of the most complete embodiment of the author's concept?
Of course, the composition gives more space to express your thought in detail. The long road to sunset is a whole series of my reflections on life, its aspects, time, goals. But I do not always need such verbosity. Sometimes there is a need to share a fleeting state of consciousness, a rare emotion that is important to me. And for this, one image is often enough.
"Bird"
It is believed that the dolls are similar to their creators. These are some projections of one's own personality. Do you agree?! In this regard, I would like to ask. How to "draw" the most direct, "correct" line from creative conception to implementation? Do you enter the energy flow of the subconscious, where you find ideas and images, connect them into a single system, like a conductor of a large orchestra? Or are you just planning a general view of the work, but in the process you follow the doll itself, where it leads you ???
I can create my works exclusively, guided by feelings that deeply touch me. I can't, no matter how hard I try, to hook myself just visually. All the same, everything will be subject to the atmosphere that fills me. So I try to put everything on paper as honestly as possible towards myself already at the stage of a rough sketch, even if it looks strange at first glance. And follow without folding. And these sketches are very often born at the moment when I fall asleep. They come by themselves when consciousness is already completely free.
"Petals"
I would like to emphasize that in your work, in the presence of many details and decorative elements (especially in a suit), the main emphasis is on line and form. This technique allows you to see the movement and mood of the object, feel the space, immerse yourself in some kind of epic story. This is true?! Who "gave you a hand", who helped to show your author's individuality and style? Who is your main teacher?
I would like to learn a lot more about expressing statics and dynamics. But what I have now gave me an architectural education.
Since you are a MEMBER of the TLC of Russia and a member of the experimental association of puppeteers DollartHow do you manage to combine the needs of the team, where it is necessary to give part of the creative energy, perhaps to sacrifice something for the sake of common goals, and the personal plans of an artist, an independent personality?
"Not made of stone"
DollArt exhibitions for me are a kind of special, intimate, cozy mystery. We meet at the editing, each brings the fragments of his soul and the magic begins, in which they grow together into one kaleidoscope. I love it. And love requires nothing. You give it to her of your own free will.
What do you think, on what principle are large creative unions created ?! According to the principle of common destiny (grew up together, studied at the same university, with the same teacher, worked together, etc.) or according to the principle of closeness of creative interests? In this regard, how do you feel about successful, but less talented comrades who enter into such creative unions and demonstrate "bad taste" or "consumer standards" on the grounds that they earn more than others?
I personally am in a creative union solely on the basis of closeness of views and kinship of souls. Never in my life before have I so easily been able to find mutual understanding with a person, as with many of my respected fellow artists. Many of their worlds are very different from mine, but I always try to immerse myself in them with the utmost care and respect. After all, all our work, all our worlds are just a set of subjective points of view. An ant's gaze to the moon, a human's eye to a speck of dust behind its own eyelid, a plant's gaze to a sunbeam. What if they start comparing how they feel about what they see? Can any of them show dogmatic and categorical judgments?
"Creation"
Should creative organizations have an art director, managers, advertising specialists as independent positions, so that artists do art - painting, graphics, sculpture, dolls - and not think about promoting their work?
For me, promotion is an unfamiliar topic, foreign territory. I don’t know how miraculously someone knows something about me, but if I ever seriously engaged in promotion, I would certainly need a person who would do this job.
Your FB profile says that since 2009 you started working in the "Workshop of Evgeniya Zaretskaya". What kind of organization is this? A virtual workshop on social media or a real studio with an actual address? What is your workshop goal? Popularize your work? Attract buyers, future students ?!
In 2009, I pushed everything else into the background and gave myself a very small corner for creativity. Now my workshop is still in my house. And every time I tried to establish its boundaries within one room, but to no avail. The muffle furnace lives in a technical room, half of the pantry is occupied by boxes of work, there are wardrobes with fabrics in the guest bedroom, and the fact that we need to communicate with loved ones forced us to rearrange the desk in the room above the stairs. There I can help my son with his homework right at work, hear what is happening on the ground floor, and participate in general conversations. Especially when it comes to large projects, my workshop begins to expand uncontrollably, occupying all surfaces in the house and even outside it. This is an integral part of my life, and I am grateful that the family accepts this as a part of me.
"Knowledge"
When restrictions were imposed on live exhibitions, many puppet masters (both experienced and still young) began to actively promote their training programs in the networks. What do you think about it? When, in your opinion, can you start teaching, and when is it too early?
I think this is a personal relationship between teacher and student. It is up to the master himself to decide whether he is ready to teach. And the disciples, again, are not forced to go to anyone. If a person goes to study with a master, it means that he feels that he can learn something.
Tell us about your plans for this fall. What projects are awaiting implementation? Who would you like to work with? Are there names that make you especially respect and want to keep up with them? If one of your “idols” invited you to your large collective project, would you agree to participate in it as a student or is it not acceptable for you now?
This summer-autumn for me is perhaps one of the most critical creative moments. I approached the implementation of the sketches for the Lost Stones project, which is very difficult for me emotionally. Having done the first job, I froze. It was given to me with pain, and at the same time, it got rid of some of the endlessly experienced emotions contained in this project. With these emotions, part of the meaning of continuing has gone. Taking a break for this project. As for the names of my dear colleagues, you can write a huge list and still not tell. It is an honor for me to work side by side with them. Co-authorship would be a rare earthly happiness of the synchronicity of souls. And I learn from them daily and hourly, as far as the breadth of my perception allows.
Questions prepared by Irina Panfilenok
TOP 100 Daily Doll 2023
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