Kuzya Zverev: The artist is a suffering creature
In anticipation of a joint exhibition with students in the Narva Town Hall (opening on Saturday, April 26 at 16.00), the artist Kuzya Zverev (Vladislav Kuznetsov) shares his thoughts on artistic life in Narva.
The town hall, he said, occupies a special place in the heart of the city, being a kind of “scrap”, uniting the past and present. However, our conversation quickly flows into a discussion of the urgent problem that local artists face is a shortage of exhibition sites.
“You can talk about the sites, because for artists this is a sore thing, where to exhibit,” Zverev admits.
In his words, nostalgia brings through those times when the Narva art gallery, led by Karina Vladimirovna, actively functioned in the city. Zverev with warmth recalls this period, emphasizing the significant role of the gallery in the cultural life of Narva: “For this, I believe, it is rightfully that it has become an honorary citizen of the city. Gallery was a real center of attraction.”
The gallery, according to the artist, not only provided space for expositions, but also performed an important mission to popularize art, introducing the Narvityans both with local talents and the work of Estonian artists as a whole. “There was a permanent plan, every three weeks there was a change in exhibitions, people went there,” Zverev notes.
Kuzya also draws attention to the absence of qualified art historians in Narva, who are able to give a professional assessment of artistic works. “There are no art historians in Narva. That is, people who can evaluate something. Art or now … not subjective, but in science,” he complains.
In this situation, the Narva College of TU, according to Zverev, stands out against the general background. He calls him a “work of art”, successfully combining the elements of modernity and historical heritage.
“I believe that it is better to do modern something, time will pass, and the college will also become the face of the city. That is, professionals did it. Well, the college has already become the face of the city, of course,” says the artist, emphasizing the significance of high-quality architecture to form the appearance of the city.
Art in decline
However, despite the presence of individual positive examples, the general picture of the development of art in Narva, according to Zverev, does not look so rosy. He compares the current situation with the “decline” period followed by the “Renaissance”, which was observed in the city 10-20 years ago.
“Here are such significant for Narva artists as Louule Dmitrieva, Boris Uvarov. They have gone, and there are no similar calibers in the city now. We have a quantitative growth of“ artists, photographers, bloggers ”, but there are no“ real names ”who previously determined the artistic line of the Narva. There is no concept of the development of art,” he emphasizes, speaking, speaking of a lack of strategic vision and a lack targeted support for artistic activity in the city.
“Those who say that they do not strive for recognition, I think they are cunning.
For genuine development of art, not just “convenient” or “profitable” creators are necessary, but “extraordinary” and “bright personalities” that can lead and inspire. “Such that they should be believed,” he adds, emphasizing the importance of sincerity and conviction in creativity.
Recognition and method
“Those who say that they do not strive for recognition, I think, will be cunning. It is very important so that you do not trample on the spot, could develop, be sure whether you are moving in the right direction,” the artist explains, emphasizing that recognition is a kind of guideline and stimulus for further growth.
Touching upon the question of the creative method, Zverev admits that at the moment he is in the period of rethinking and “looks closely and looks around”. The artist’s creative path is not always even and cloudless, “ups” and “balanced states” are inevitable in him. With age, as the artist notes, an awareness of the limitations of physical forces and the need for a more careful attitude towards himself come.
“The artist must be suffering that is suffering. But this is in my deep conviction. The suffering, in the broad sense of the word, is an integral part of the process of cognition and helps the artist go beyond the scope of everyday life, see“ something else, more than what surrounds you. The artist exists in his bubble removed from everyday fuss.
Zverev jokingly focuses on the fact that the creation of a work of art is not just entertainment, but hard work, which requires both mental and physical stress. “Some may think this entertainment. Everything is not so,” he says.
Zverev also notes that viewers often see only the outside of the artist’s life, not suspecting the “cuisine” and “inner life”, full of experiences and creative searches. “And then, when you show the paintings, everyone exclaims:“ Oh, how brightly he wrote, what a well done! He is probably a very cheerful artist, ”he ironizes.
The crisis always ends
“For inspiration, a harmonious combination of the“ internal state ”of the artist and external circumstances is necessary. And when it somehow coincides, you have inspiration to work. And when, let’s say, some kind of mismatch is obtained, the artist has a creative crisis,” he concludes.
But it should not be completely dramatized either. “The crisis will pass by itself. Because it is like a flu. Of course, there may be consequences. But still you somehow get out of this. And you live on,” the artist philosophically remarks.
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