Pavel Makov

Interview Paul Mac: "Art - a kind of antioxidant that helps to keep from global diseases"
Jeanne Ozirna 26/10/2010 You were born in St. Petersburg, and live in Ukraine. How did you come here?

I was five years old living in Ukraine. In fact, he lived in many cities. First, in Rivne, then in Kiev for three years. My parents - doctors, Dad came to Kiev to write a thesis. In Crimea, we lived there, I graduated from college in Kharkov - the institute in Kiev in the army, and then again in the Crimea had lived for four years, then returned to Kharkov.

 
Why did you start drawing?

I just started drawing it.

How do you feel about the fact that art today commercialized?

With this postulate, I beg to differ. Before the end of the nineteenth-century art is always made to order. All of the Middle Ages was under a commercial sense. The greatest paintings in the world - custom-made, for example, a portrait of the Mona Lisa. And the fact that art is divided into commercial and noncommercial - are again the metamorphosis of the market. Just at some point it became clear that the non-conformist, ostensibly non-profit art for sale as well as realistic landscape. In this case no particular problem can not see. The question is not whether the artist gets paid for their work or do not. The question is: he sells what he had done or is doing what is for sale. Here lies the watershed.

And you could work "in the table?

In my time I to this quietly preparing. In the 83-meter, I could not imagine that the situation will evolve in this way. Then I very seriously for two years studying English, is ready to receive the second higher education was going to become an English teacher at the school and thus earn their bread. I just love the language. It was the only occupation, except for a drawing that I was ready to do it with pleasure. Then I went into the army, and when I returned - in 1986, perestroika. And somehow it all began to change dramatically. But I understood the whole structure of the Soviet, which existed, I was not able to incorporate as an artist. I've been there more than a man.

You could have your work to allocate some periods?

You know, it is very difficult. Starting the year with 91go, I practically do the same, actually is a diary of my existence here. He sometimes metaphorical, sometimes realistic. Just some people keep a diary - it's verbal account, and I have - the visual interpretation of everything that happens to me, with us, with the entire country.

Your work is mostly monochrome. Why is it so do not complain about the color?

I work with paper. I was quite happy with the combination of black and white. If I use a color, then only as a Highlighter, touch-up when I need it for some emotional things. I work with paper quite deliberately, because I have no such feeling that I am creating a work of art. It is rather a document my life, sometimes very private. Plus, the technologies themselves, which I use, I was very close. Not only because I love them. If you take all the knowledge of mankind, beginning with, say, the era of great discoveries, they somehow were visualized with engravings. Artists went on trips, returning with pictures, engravers them engraved. Engraving died as a document before appeared photoshop. It ceased to be a way to render our knowledge of the world. Here are photos from this pedestal knocked photoshop. Now, what would be a wonderful picture did not work, has anyone not prove that it was done in reality. But with an engraving that did not happen. Although de facto, in Photoshop you can handle anything, and etchings as well. But mentally it did not happen, and for me it is very important.

Your work - personal or social yet?

People - social animal. My work - a way to express my impressions of the society. But personal and social fact very much intertwined. You know, Matisse was once asked, he would paint pictures of living on a desert island. He pondered and honestly said: "I do not know." Because everything connected with art - it is somehow a reaction to our lives.

Your work is stored and the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum, in many famous galleries. What's more important to you: to work to buy a museum or wide circles of admirers?

For general readers, I never sought one. Moreover, and the technology is used and the size works quite intimate. All my works are designed for viewing by one person. And they are very deliberately designed to ensure that each day of the spectator is there something new. You know, I find myself in them always something new. A relative of museums, then, of course, every man has pride, have emotions, have ambitions, especially during its formation. The first museum that has bought my work, was the Sumy Museum of Art. It was in the early 90's. Then he was asked to work in the National Museum. And then bought the Tretyakov Gallery and other museums.

How and where did they find your work?

At exhibitions, mostly. In America, for example, I participated in one very large porfolio, which consisted of 40 writers from around the world. This was the program of the Washington museum Corcoran. Then they presented it in different museums. Say, the Washington National Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art bought a portfolio, respectively, and my work. It was a great joint project. Victoria and Albert Museum bought my work at the gallery in London, I participated in a summer exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts in England. Each painting has its own destiny. But when you're thirty years old and you have to buy the work of the Tretyakov Gallery, is very important. This somehow proves that you mean something. Now when I am 52, my ego is satisfied. I was delighted to receive the first Grand Prix at the All-Union Biennale, I was very happy when I won in Japan. There is still supported by a fairly large sums of money. In 1993, we just lived on the money. 5000 dollars - have lived for two years. But on the other hand, I am no longer involved in purely graphic shows, to me it is no longer interested. For himself concluded that the world of graphics a little chamber, and clamped. When I need, I do bronze or photography. If you own something does not know how in terms of technology, I can hire people, or ask friends to help me. But it is an engraving and paper are my main tools.

That is painting you doing?

I graduated from the Crimean Art College, a picturesque section. Therefore, I have been painting in earnest. But done in Kharkov Institute of the graphic department quite deliberately, knowing that in the painting, I have something I know. The language is familiar to me, but the graphics language - no. Now I mainly use that technology, which studied only six months - the first year, in the first semester. On the chart I stopped, she expresses what I want to show. No picturesque zagashnikov I have not. Sometimes acrylic write, adding one more graphics, but it's not the painting.

Someone from the plots of the twentieth century do you like and with whom they would like to make a joint exhibition?

The exhibition - with no one already. Already at that age - to himself. I am not interested in group exhibitions. And among the plots close to me so many. I can not identify anyone. The only person I can always celebrate - a Rembrandt.

And yet - of the twentieth century?

I was not close to schedule as such. I love to watch, such as sculpture. Purely visual exhibition I have much enthusiasm do not cause. Of the painters Matisse closest to me. And the second half of the twentieth century - I really like Maurizio Cattelan as an artist, but he basically does the installation. I like Anselm Kiefer, his art-books, but not what he was doing the last ten years, and what he did before. Also - Sam Taylor-Wood. All these names appeared in our country thanks to Pinchuk, and I knew them from the late 80's and early 90's. Because then I'm pretty much, much more than now, traveled abroad and seen it all at the shows.

Are there any artists that have influenced your work?

Direct influence of personalities over, when I was about 30 years. I think, to go abroad and go to museums can be up to 27-28 years. Yes, if it forms you as a person. I, for example, I like Uccello, if we talk about the old masters. Three of his famous work - a series of battles with the Florentine - are located in three different museums. The British Museum, the Louvre and the Uffizi. I saw them when I was 35 years old. Therefore, the impact on my form, they already could not. And if I saw them in 25 years, you see, would be quite different.

Can you look at other paintings detached as a spectator?

Now - just as a spectator. In another way I looked at the period of active learning. Until 25 years until he was a student, I watched as done. Now I is not worried. I like a man walking into a museum, not as an artist. Me as a person of something is missing.

And what, in fact, missing?

Emotions, I guess. Art - as an antioxidant. These are drugs that reduce the risk of cancer. If you regularly take them, the chances of getting cancer is less. So that's art - a kind of antioxidant that all of us one way or another helps to resist such global diseases. It does not change the world. I am far from thinking that it is generally something that can change. Art has always operates a tete-a-tete. With you in person. There is no way that it had acted immediately to all. As soon as art in itself incorporates some ideological thing, it ceases to be art and becomes propaganda.

Tell us about your collaboration with Taras Prokhasko.

Cooperation with Prokhasko - is more desirable than reasonably possible. We are friends with Taras, he does his own, I own. The project, which we wanted to do - this is the book "Gardens". She is constantly delayed for one simple reason. I have the very lack of visual material to this book do. That is, it is fragmentary, but I'm not sure that Taras will participate in it because it just once. He gave me carte blanche to use any of its existing texts, but he specifically did not write. And for the last 3-4 years since our meeting in my head, this idea greatly transformed. And the idea was so. He would write lyrics on the theme "gardens", and I on the same topic works. His texts can not explain my work. These two streams: one - verbal, the second - a visual. Merge them together in your inside, viewers and readers. But now, I think it will be more visual book. I hope that the book "Gardens" I do, it will be a continuation of the book "The Chronicles of Utopia."
Here and in his new work, I tried to enter text - is the name of Rose. Obviously, more gardens in the paintings will bear some explanation, they will increasingly turn to the plans. And to combine the verbal part, but I'm not a writer and a writer, so it will be very modest. How that's painting - a little tint. Something opens up, or give a meaning which is not visually pridash.
 
Tell us about your project "Donroza, which in early summer exhibited the National Art Museum in Kiev. How much time did you work on the paintings?

You know, it is very difficult to say. The time that is spent on working with these sheets of paper, there is indicated - 2009-2010. In fact, I'm very unconventional use of technology. Therefore, in this work involved, I think, 52 or 54 copper plates. They were made starting from the mid 90's and until the present time. For the most rosary I made 12 new boards with roses. But there are still trees, eating at home. Here, roughly about six thousand impressions in different, some quite incredible variations. That is, it happens all the time spontaneously. In "Donroze" basis for a plan to take a piece of Donetsk. Even with real street names. Then this piece of photocopied and turned into a huge maze, although in fact there is none. Labyrinth - a thing which has one input and one output. And there are many exits and entrances, so that's free maze, like a rosary.

Why your gardens now transformed into the scheme and plans?

Hard to say. They were originally as a garden scheme. Having been in many gardens, I was convinced that the garden as an art form far above the individual art forms. It contains all the practices of so-called «contemporary art». There are also land-art, is installed. Garden decorated with sculptures. I'm not saying that the garden - a nonstop performance. If you do not stand a hoe, then ten years later it turns into a wild haschi. It amazes me the most. In this sense, the garden, of course, a very serious alternative to any modern, boundary practices. And another. For someone lend-art, as, for example, Versailles, will be for centuries to care for, keep, cherish, love, invest, and so on? In this sense, I am aware that the garden - this is probably the greatest of all art forms. And gardeners, landscape architects, who were doing - geniuses who housed in everything. Can you imagine what it means to plant a tree and imagine how it will all be over three hundred years.

You, too, leaves, a gardener.

By and large, yes. But we should not forget that the real garden is always absolutely clear social problem. For example, Versailles - it is a political statement of Louis XIV. He ruined France, but he left France, Versailles, and Versailles, France created anew. Not a palace, a garden made France. Paradox. There were many attempts to emulate. If you take our Peterhof, Peter wanted to do something, just as it was in Louis. Moreover, a student came to Le Nôtre, the architect of Versailles, Peterhof to plant. On the other hand, for me personally it is a kind of joy. I can not really plant a garden, I had neither the money nor the time nor the ground I do not. Needs and the tremendous knowledge, to plant a garden. But here's the plan I can do.

In Ukraine, adopted as follows: the creator creates, and its financial plans are engaged in galleries, agents. How do you do with these things?

Somewhere in the year 2000 there were Ukrainian collectors, this has very serious changes in the situation. Most of his past life I'm talking about the gallery did not know. We, as could earn money. I went abroad to teach. Helped me a lot of my international awards, because it's been a lot of money in those years. What there were in general picture in the early 90s? Rather, they were, but no significant financial role is not played. Galleries were intermediaries between collectors and artists, and this is their normal function. But actually, I'm used to solve all problems myself, it's an organically for me. I've worked with, "I Gallery Gudimova Pasha, I have not had any complaints, but, unfortunately, Ukrainian picture can not until the end to perform this function. Make it so that I my material issues are not worried. When we had the gallery, which became more or less seriously by some act as agents of the market at that time, my relationship with the collectors were already established.
In fact, my position in this regard quite hard. All the galleries, with whom I worked, and my collectors know: I call not the price that I want, as is customary. I call the sales price. If the gallery is worth five thousand, and it cost me five thousand. It does not cost less. And I take full responsibility of his manager's percentage of the gallery, because I perform the functions of a manager. If you sell the picture, I will gladly share with them, because I, frankly, it would be easier these managerial responsibilities are not implemented. Just picture cover only a small part of the Ukrainian market. None of them really does not go abroad. They do not have a representative sample of other countries. Ukraine as a cultural territory abroad does not exist yet.

In every job you put a certain idea. Important to you, the viewer to understand it correctly?

Certainly, some line of thought pattern may ask. But I'm starting to work, knowing only the general direction and trend. I can not write "I would ...". There is a visual image, so I'm an artist, not a writer. He carries a certain meaning, which I myself are not yet fully available. In the process of creating each work - my own personal study. I myself have something to learn. And the more unknown this way scarier than it passes, the greater the chance that you are something you see, know and understand myself. What is meant by this viewer - a complex question. Depends on whether this viewer is adequate to my worldview, as it is adequate to the visual language that I use as far as he is close internally.

To understand your work, you need to think logically or emotionally?

No, emotionally. For me the important details, a lot of minor things. The main thing - it's what you get at once. The combination of black and white. Sometimes I do a lot of impressions to get a single line. In general, it could draw, but for me it is important to know that there is a huge amount of detail that no one will see because they blend together. Important for me emotionally motivated. And only after a literary sense, and everything else.







We had great friends.