absamat khan / daria panfilova
Interview for the DaiDa project
We talked with the project's founder about contemporary art, a new look at collecting paintings , and of course about the Arctic
  • Absamat:
    First of all, I am very happy that we are doing this. I think that an interview with an artist is a great start to create your own content for the DaiDa blog.
    You are in the top 100 young artists according to IN ART and I want to know how you feel about it and what it means to you?
    Daria:
    Of course, I was overjoyed. This is recognition in a professional environment, which is as important as the circle of people who buy your art.
  • Absamat:
    How did you end up there?
    Daria:
    In my case, this is the result of activity over the past year. It turned out to be active: participation in several international exhibitions, a successful solo exhibition " Polarity "in January 2018 in the gallery"Exposed". It has become a key one. I am currently exhibiting in Los Angeles as part of the SELECTION project, along with other artists representing Russian young art.
  • Absamat:
    And tell me how do you feel about the fact that the first thing I want to talk to you about is getting into the rating. What emotions does this cause?
    Daria:
    You're the first person to ask me that. They usually ask: "why is the Arctic"?
  • Absamat:
    I knew this was the most popular question, so I saved it. Now I want to ask about the exhibition "Polarity". It brought you a certain fame, but is there something else for which you are grateful to the personal exhibition?
    Daria:
    I combined my favorite works over a five-year period. Everything that was collected in Moscow. As a result, it was an exhibition half consisting of works from private collections, the placement of which was negotiated with the current owners. This exhibition showed that it is quite possible to combine an artist, curator, organizer and seller. Thanks to this exhibition, I have two regular art managers, permanent collaboration with galleries, and I learned a lot of organizational nuances.
  • Absamat:
    Let's now talk a little about what you are exploring in your art, what you are thinking about. Are there any main topics and why did you choose them?
    Daria:
    The main topic, of course, is the Arctic. It has been exciting for me for a long time, but by 2018 it has become a single whole and a cross-cutting theme in my work. I plan to develop it further and already have concrete plans. First of all, the Arctic is a metaphor for heroism, purity, and aspiration to the future. After graduation, I moved to Saint Petersburg and lived near the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic. For two years, it became one of my favorite places in the city, I almost did not get out of there. Since then, and for almost ten years now, I have been collecting books about the Arctic, reading scientific articles, and taking a course on climate change. Humanity for at least two hundred years has been looking in that direction and trying to imagine what will happen next, how the development of the Arctic will develop. There are very interesting books on this topic. If you read how you imagined the development of the North pole 50 years ago, you can learn absolutely fantastic things.
  • Absamat:
    We will talk more about climate change. And I wanted to know if you have ever experienced this atmosphere in person, have you lived such an experience?
    Daria:
    In St. Petersburg, I got used to the fact that most of the time it is dark and cold, it is almost a polar night. Then there was Iceland. I'm gradually getting closer to the Arctic.
  • Absamat:
    Let's talk about climate change. There is global warming, huge non-profit organizations are being created on this topic, and PR is being created at the expense of certain people. Even Leonardo DiCaprio was a co-founder of one Foundation. How serious do you think this topic is?
    Daria:
    Global warming is most pronounced in the Arctic. There is a reduction in the ice cover, because of this, the albedo of the Earth decreases. Accordingly, the Arctic ocean absorbs more solar radiation, which leads to even more heating of water and air. Ice is life, it stores huge reserves of fresh water, ice is a memory of the planet's past: a glaciologist can restore the climate of long-ago times by one ice excavation, ice is information about the future, there are many different types of ice.
    Warming directly affects the fauna of the Arctic. Polar bears are gradually dying out, and under the influence of all that is happening to the ecology of the Arctic, they mutate, become hermaphrodites, for example.
  • Absamat:
    In your works, this region is represented very naturally. I would call it a landscape story by the feel of it. How would you describe the visual media you use?
    Daria:
    In choosing visual media, I went from the attitude of people to the Arctic. The perception of this region is still very superficial, as is the General level of knowledge. Hence the "naive" form of the image of the Arctic theme, all my bears. Arctic Fox as a generalized attitude to the situation.
  • Absamat:
    So you're saying that the majority of people's opinions about this region haven't been formed yet?
    Daria:
    I think so. If people still ask me "Why the Arctic?»
  • Absamat:
    What do you think should happen in the mass consciousness in order for the ecological situation of the region to improve?
    Daria:
    In my opinion, the level of awareness should grow. Environmental awareness at the household level.
  • Absamat:
    But back to art. You once said that art is a universal language that everyone can understand. I'm interested in how do you think people perceive art? Is it in the head, is it in the heart, is it somewhere below? What are the first feelings that people should have?
    Daria:
    The same as from movies or music. Art touches all aspects of perception. You turn on emotionally, but at the same time the work of art makes you think. It all depends on what the author wants to convey.I think so. If people still ask me "Why the Arctic?"
  • Absamat:
    What about your work specifically? When you write, do you imagine the viewer interacting with them?
    Daria:
    I try to express my thoughts with the help of a picture. I do things that I myself would be interested in interacting with, what to look at. But I try to remain clear. It is very important for me that art is understandable.