HVISK X SVETLANA BOGATCHEVA

HVISK ATELIER IS AN ONLINE COMMUNITY AND A DIGITAL SHOWCASE. WE COME ACROSS A LOT OF INSPIRING ARTISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THROUGH OUR ATELIER, WE ASK THEM TO INTERPRET OUR COLLECTIONS AND EXPRESS THEM THROUGH THEIR ART. THEIR DIFFERENT WAYS OF APPROACH INSPIRE US TO LOOK AT OUR COLLECTIONS DIFFERENTLY. - AND HOPEFULLY THEY INSPIRE YOU TOO. FOR THIS ATELIER WE TEAMED UP WITH THE FINNISH BASED ARTIST, SVETLANA BOGATCHEVA. WE HAD A CHAT WITH HER ABOUT HER WORK AS AN ARTIST AND HER THOUGHTS BEHIND THIS PROJECT.

HVISK: WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?


SVETLANA: I USED TO WORK IN ADVERTISING AND INNOVATION IN UK, SWEDEN AND ITALY. I HAD A GREAT CAREER BUT HONESTLY NEEDED A CHANGE, SO I MOVED BACK TO FINLAND JUST BEFORE MY SON WAS BORN. ART HAS BECOME MY SOLE CREATIVE OUTLET AND NOW I HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY FOCUSING ON DEVELOPING MY ART PRACTICE FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. I WORK IN MY STUDIO AND PARTICIPATE IN EXHIBITIONS AROUND THE WORLD AND ENJOY DOING SPECIAL PROJECTS; LIKE THIS ONE WITH HVISK. I RECENTLY SHOWED WITH NEON ART GALLERY, WHO REPRESENT ME IN LONDON. AT THE MOMENT I AM WORKING TOWARDS AN EXHIBITION AT VASA KONSTHALL IN MY HOMETOWN AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT, THE SCALE AND THE FREEDOM OF IT ALL. WOULD LOVE TO DO SOMETHING IN COPENHAGEN ONE DAY TOO, THE ENERGY OF THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE IS FANTASTIC.

HVISK: WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE MEDIUM? 

SVETLANA: I INVESTIGATE PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PAINTING, COLLAGE, WORD ART, SCULPTURE AND INSTALLATION, OFTEN USING POST-INDUSTRIAL AND POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS SUCH AS PLASTIC, RUBBER AND TEXTILE. I HAVE RECENTLY ALSO STARTED TO GET INTO DIGITAL ART.

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ALOT ABOUT THE IDEA OF IDENTITY LATELY, TO ME IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FLUID CONCEPT AS I HAVE BEEN LUCKY TO TRAVEL AND LIVE IN DIFFERENT PLACES. THE WAR IN UKRAINE HAS TRIGGERED ME IN SO MANY WAYS AS I FOLLOW THE SITUATION FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND REMEMBER HOW TOUGH LIFE WAS IN ST.PETERSBURG IN MY CHILDHOOD IN THE 90S, BEFORE I MOVED AWAY. I HAVE NEVER IDENTIFIED WITH THE PLACE WHERE I WAS BORN, YET NOW I FEEL GUILTY AND RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF A MAN SO FAR AWAY FROM ME. IT IS TIME TO REALIZE THAT WE LIVE IN A GLOBAL WORLD, WE ARE ALL ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AND WE NEED TO UNITE IN ORDER TO FACE THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE.

THE DIGITAL ARTWORKS CREATED FOR HVISK - “THE ARTISTS STUDIO”, ARE A REPRESENTATION OF THESE QUESTIONS, ABOUT MY IDENTITY, PURPOSE AND WHAT IS TO COME. I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS, I SIMPLY SHOW UP AND DO THE WORK. THESE IMAGES ARE FROM MY STUDIO, HONEST AND MESSY BUT DISTORTED THROUGH A 3D SCANNING PROCESS AND MANUAL MANIPULATION. THE DISTORTED EFFECT, TEXTURE AND DEPTH- I THINK IT'S INTERESTING.