I had the chance to be able to ask the incredible Dariya Kanti some questions about her beautiful work!
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became an artist?
I was born and live to this day in Tashkent. Since childhood, I really loved to draw and often chose drawing for other activities with friends. Remembering myself in childhood and as teenager , I tend to think that the profession of an artist chose me by itself. Since no matter what I do, fine art always brought me back the ideas of creating art.
2. You studied art at National Institute of Arts and Design and have a masters from St Petersburg Art and Industrial Academy.
How did you find your time in art education and do you feel that it has helped in preparing you for a career as an artist?
Additionally, what are your thoughts on art education and is it important for an artist to have a degree?
I very often hear from other artists that in the current realities, higher education has lost its significance. You can become a famous artist without education. This is partly true, but I am deeply convinced that in order to break the rules in art, creating a completely new one, first you need to know these rules and be able to use them. It seems to me that the question of studying in a higher educational institution is rather ambiguous. For example, at the Bachelor’s degree, I received a lot of knowledge that still helps me on my creative path, I was very lucky with the teachers. But on the magistracy I was much less fortunate and two years of study gave me practically nothing.
Also, if we talk about the structure of education in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and Uzbekistan is one of them, therefore, the structure of education in all of this countries has remained more or less the same. And it is different from let’s say the American structure, which usually always has marketing subjects. Which are so lacking in our Universities, since we know how to create art, but we have not been taught the right way to talk about our works and sell them.
3. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist and are there any misconceptions you don’t like about?
In general, I am annoyed by the tendency to devalue art, hence the profession itself and the artists themselves. Many people think from the position “Well, it’s not difficult for you to draw”, “An artist must be hungry, live in poverty and suffer, only then he /she will create true art”. Which in my opinion is real idiocy.
4. Your work is extremely fascinating and I’m instantly drawn to the fact that there is so much layered symbolism present.
To me, there seems to be elements of folklore, ceremony, celebration and the acceptance of the self in your work, but are there any key themes that you particularly like to explore?
Additionally, why is creating art important to you and why is art a good outlet for the themes you explore?
Art , or rather the creation of art , has been an important part of my life since childhood . When I think about how I chose my profession, I understand that rather art chose me. Only when I create my work I do feel absolutely comfortable, even if the process can be exhausting. I am fascinated and admired by the ethnics of various nations , their costumes, household items, rituals. Often in my art, objects of different nations can coexist in harmony, which are an auxiliary force for revealing the main theme, namely the role of women in modern society, from everyday routine to global events. And how to this day a woman has to fight for respect, for the right to vote, for the right to live as she wants, and not as society and family decided for her.
5. Your medium of choice is pencils, which is really interesting because I’ve recently spoken to artists such as Lisa Zaman, Chrilz, Helena Art Book and Katy Harald, who also use the same medium.
How did you figure out that pencils were the right medium for you and do you think that pencils are often considered a ‘lesser’ medium?
Additionally, what advantages does using pencils give you over, say, painting or sculpting?
For some time I have been working in mixed media, but the pencil is still my favorite tool. In my case, everything is very banal, I did not like paint since childhood, as I am very clumsy and often spilled water, which brought me discomfort. And then colored pencils came to my aid. I am deeply convinced that the pencil as a tool is very underestimated in the world of professional art, as well as paper. It is generally accepted that real, serious art cannot be created on paper, especially with a pencil. I am periodically told “Your works are too expensive, you draw on paper.” I sincerely disagree with this and believe that this thinking needs to be reconsidered. Much more important is the idea, skill, technique of execution, but not on what and with what tools artwork was created.
6. Most, if not all of your subjects are female.
Is there any particular reason for this and do you think that the divine feminine is an over-prevalent topic in the arts?
How does your use of female subjects add to the overall discourse of feminism?
You need to understand that where I come from, a woman is considered anyone, but not a person, and even less an individual who can manage her life herself. Feminism is regarded as man-hatred and a disease. In such a society, the spread of teachings about the Divine Feminine would not interfere, only if it would not be reduced to one fertility. In my works, I try to show not an idealized and faceless beauty, but a woman with a strong spirit, independent and whole.
The main muse and inspiration for me is my mother. We can say that to some extent she is the prototype of the heroines whom I portray.
7. It’s often said that an artist is like a god, as they are often the creator of their own world in which they have total control over their constructed domain.
Do you consider the people you draw to be characters in a world you’ve created, and if so, do they all exist together in the same world?
Additionally, how important is storytelling in your work? Do you give your characters backstories and consider how they may connect with one another?
Wow. It is very interesting. I didn’t think about my work in that way. I don’t see my work as a kind of fantasy world and that the female images that I create are some kind of heroes in it. I think that in this case I am a more down to earth person and portray the problems that concern me related to the everyday life of women. Another thing is that they are quite veiled.
8. It’s obvious that tradition is an important focus in your images, but how has your upbringing impacted your approach to creativity and filtered through your work?
Since childhood, I have been a very freedom-loving person. And to a greater extent, I was not limited in it. I am very lucky with my mother, since from the very childhood she saw in me a person who perceives the world in her own way. I think freedom of thought and freedom in the perception of the world can be traced in my work today.
Additionally, what do you think your work says about you?
I think it shows that I’m a such complex person.
9, How important is realism in your work? Do you prefer to create work that is more realistic or abstract or do you seek to find a place between the two?
Is an image that is more realistic a better image?
It cannot be said that realism is better than abstraction, or vice versa. There is a moment of preference when it comes to vision. As for expressive language, realism is closer to me, but with the prefix sur. At the moment, it is through figurative – surrealism I feel most comfortable talking about the problems that concern me.
10. Not only is your work technically great but I really love your use of visual distortions, such twisting and layering faces and limbs to create characters that seem otherworldly and oneiric.
Do you feel like you have a distinct visual style and if so, how would you describe it?
Thank you. Finding your own style is a rather difficult task, as for me, only when people who see your work understand that it is you who created it. Then you can say you have your own, recognizable style. I am still in the process of creating main.
Also, how important is it for an artist to have their own style, or is there too much emphasis put onto this?
I think this question leads to the question of the purpose of the artist. After all, if the artist studies the world through him/herself, studies and passes art through him/herself, then sooner or later the individuality of the expression that we call style will come to the surface. Does it matter? I think yes.
11. What is your creative process like?
Are there any particular routines you have that help you create your art?
Where does the initial idea of an image come from and how much pre-production do you do?
Do you create using reference photographs or from your own images?
Also, do you work in a studio and what is your working environment like?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a studio, but I do have a desk and a small space next to it where an easel can fit. Therefore, the workflow can be quite chaotic, but an incredible plus of working at home is constant access to food.
Often ideas for works are born in a completely random way, sometimes several heard / seen by history or events are linked together and an idea for a painting or a series of paintings is created from it. I don’t like making detailed sketches. That’s why I’m working straight on the original. Sometimes when there are so many different ideas that I can’t fit everything in my head, in order to remember them, I make rather primitive sketches, which later help me remember the idea I wanted to work on.
How do you combat the loneliness that some artists feel whilst creating in isolation for long periods of time?
By nature, I am not a very social person, which allows me to enjoy the moments of isolation that come with being an artist.
12. You’ve been exhibiting work nationally and internationally since 2013,
What has been the highlight of your career so far and how did you get into exhibiting your work?
How did you know when the time was right and do you have any advice for artists who might be looking to have their work exhibited?
I began to actively search for the opportunity to exhibit my works only after graduating from the art academy. And then I was faced with the realities of the art world that we were not taught at the academy. Namely, with the fact that you must interest the curator for the opportunity to exhibit your art.
I am not an expert in exhibition practice, since I myself have recently participated in exhibitions. At the moment, the highlight of my career is an art residence in Florence.
13. Do you feel like you’re part of a larger art community and how important for you to have a supportive network of fellow creatives?
Unfortunately, I cannot say that I am part of this or that community. Since, as far as I know, there is no such community in Tashkent where creative people would gather and create something together or exchange experiences.
14. What are your thoughts on social media and how has it impacted your practice? Is it something you enjoy?
I think social networks are a good tool to show your creations outside of your country. And also get acquainted with the works of foreign artists. I like the fact that there are no borders, in one hour you can chat with artists from different countries and it’s pretty cool.
15. Which is more important; the skill of the artist or personality of the artist?
Based on myself, I can not choose one thing. I think it’s very cool when an artist has a great character and at the same time he/she creates absolutely incredible art. But if we turn to the history of art, including our realities, we can observe the fact that in the Industry, in most cases, the character of the artist does not matter if his/her work is popular and sells well.
Additionally, do you find it easy or hard to show yourself on social media and do you think that your personality comes across well?
At times, I find myself in a situation where it is quite difficult for me to show some of my personal qualities through social media , but I think that a rather attentive person will be able to learn a lot about me through my social media.
16. In your opinion, what makes a good image and what was the last image or piece of media that captured your attention? What was it about it that captured your attention?
Additionally, who is an artist (or artists) that we should be keeping an eye on?
Lately, I’ve been increasingly catching myself thinking that I really admire the work of Asian artists. They very skillfully combine European painting techniques with their own traditions. And often they create a completely unique art saturated with history, philosophy, innovation, combined with perfect execution. My personal favorites are Lo Chan Peng, Takato Yamamoto, Jeffrey Chong Wang, Wei Dong, Ryohei Hase.
17. A lot of artists tend to be introverted but do you consider yourself to be an introvert or an extrovert?
How does this affect your approach to your work and are there any particular skills you’d like to work on over the next year?
5 days a week I feel like an introvert, on days 6 and 7 I feel like an extrovert, after these two days I will turn back into introvert . And during this period I mostly work on my paintings. As for skills, I think I would like to master public speaking.
18. I was very surprised and delighted to find out that you run your own art magazine called G.O.A.T 1991.
Could you talk a bit about the magazine?
How did it start, who are your audience, what type of content do you curate/create and do you have any aims or goals you’d like to achieve?
Also, how do you find the challenge of curating your own creative space and has it affected the way you approach/converse with other artists?
Additionally, how do you balance the magazine and your own work?
Where can we find the magazine?
Thank you for this question.
Work on G.O. A.T1991 started at the end of 2019. The idea was to talk about art and artists who have something to say, whose visual and narrative component is at a high level. And most importantly, it doesn’t matter if the artist is successful and famous or not. It is very interesting for me as an artist to ask my colleagues questions and to see how differently each of them sees and feels this world. It is very inspiring and at the same time opens your eyes to some new old things.
Our audience is like the artists themselves, art historians, curators and just art lovers.
I plan to launch the magazine online only, as G.O.A.T1991 does not have financial assistance for print copies.
But unfortunately at the moment the work is suspended for a completely stupid reason. Me and my friend who worked on text have already finished our debut number. I finished the layout, the magazine was ready for uploading to the Internet. The next day , my computer simply does not turn on. In a panic, I take it to the service center where they told me that it is not possible to restore the files from the computer and, of course, I don’t have other copies of the Magazine anywhere just on computer. I feel so stupid about , but it is what it is. And at the moment I’m saving up for a new computer to resume work on our first issue.
19. Do you think that creative freedom exists?
Also, as your work sometimes contains nudes, how do you navigate social media guidelines/prudish attitudes so that your work reaches the maximum amount of people who will understand your artistic intentions?
I believe yes. Sometimes it seems to me that art is generally the only place where there is freedom of expression. But from your question for me follows one more. Are all artists ready to be responsible for their art? Indeed, in any aspect of life, as well as in creativity, freedom is equal to responsibility.
As for the removal by Instagram of works of art that show nipples. This is some kind of extreme degree of inadequacy in relation to the fine art. To be honest, I still cannot understand the point of deleting works of art on Instagram, although there are more terrible posts and accounts in its vastness that have not been affected by the new rules in any way. As for my work, I do not have any bypass schemes, I just publish my work and hope that the adequacy will still prevail.
20. Who would you like to see interviewed next on The Flying Fruit Bowl?
It would be interesting to read an interview with John Robinson.
21. What are you currently working on and where can people find more info about you and your work?
At the moment I am working on a project about the war and how it affects women in particular.I’m working on my website at the moment so shorty it will be easier to see all my works in lone place.
Thanks so much for taking part in this interview Dariya!
Thank you for very interesting questions! 🙂
