Yulia Naganova
LandE scape
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW
Public should definitely have access to art. The more often, the better. My point of view is that we should try surrounding ourselves with beauty. It would be wrong to concentrate all art pieces in galleries and museums. Yes, probably people don’ t pay as much attention to the artworks exposed in a fitness center or in a café, than to the ones presented in a gallery. But I’ m sure, that the more artworks-- photos, for example, people see, the more of them stick in their heads. That means we should cover with art as many public spaces as possible.
One of the hallmarks of your art is the capability to create direct involvement with the viewers, who are urged to evolve from a condition of mere spectatorship. So before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience. Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?
When I create something, I never think if my audience will like it or not. Audience is huge and every person of the audience has it’ s own taste. And I’ m only one – with my own vision and aesthetic. And even more …
Photo process is not a process where you think and plan in advance. It’ s very emotional action and very often you just don’ t have time to think about the reaction of your audience. But of course it’ s amazing when people accept your art and experience it.
Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Yulia. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see the development of your work?
I continue to work with still life and abstract patterns. Continue to look for the new ways of editing and shooting. Something really new for me now is working with women portraits. It interested me always, but I was afraid to begin working in this direction. I had to leave my comfort zone and start to do something completely new. I’ m really happy I did it because it’ s something completely different for me and I love working in this new direction as much as I love working with the still life. And besides of that I continue to read a lot and develop myself in the ways that are interesting to me.
An interview by Katherine Williams, curator and Josh Ryder, curator landescape @ europe. com