Though all our expressions come from the same inner sanctum of our minds, how they are released upon the world is anyone’s guess.
Natalya Lobanova, word curator, selfish illustrator and philosophy student, coats nothing in the sugar we are told to use as social moderation. Life is about living and art can be used as an expression of that life.
Born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Natalya now lives and studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Though her official focus of study remains in politics and philosophy, she does not leave her art off as some second-hand ameba, oddly attached and slightly annoying if not actively employed.
For Natalya, creative work is the expression of a moment and one hell of a way to clear one’s mind. With witty and sparsely sardonic quips to technicolor illustrations visually smacking of old 1960′s nature encyclopedias for children, Lobanova will charm you with her simple style and brusquely poetic outlook on life.
1 – How do you define art and can “good” or “bad” art be labeled?
I don’t think that the question ‘what is art’ can have an answer, or that it is even a relevant question any more. It’s no longer productive to think about this – does it make a difference if someone says that something isn’t art?
I do think art can be categorised as good or bad. Good art, in my opinion, has to be genuine and have intrinsic value for the artist – it cannot be a means to an end, it can only be made for the purpose of it’s own existence, it can’t be there to make you famous, to make you seem interesting or to impress someone – if that happens it’s just a nice bonus. Art can be made with the sole intention of being beautiful with no ‘deeper meaning/hidden message’ but I don’t think making something beautiful to fill a space is good art, that’s just decoration. Making something beautiful because that is what you want to do and how you feel – that is art, and it’s good art. In this sense, art is a selfish act, but in its self-obsession it is genuine. The biggest mistake an artist can make is thinking they can fool an audience. People can tell if you’ve made something just because it’s what is trendy right now or because you want to create a certain image for yourself – something like that is made out of vanity rather than out of genuine emotion that moved you, what’s the point of doing that at all? There are simpler ways of impressing people than by becoming an artist. If you can’t be honest in art, when can you be?
2 – How did you decide living as an artist is what you wanted to do?
I haven’t decided what I want to do yet! I don’t know if you can really decide to be an artist, I think it’s more of a thing that just happens to you.
3 – What information do you need to feed your mind? How do you explore?
I feel like most of the information that we process daily is passively fed to us, especially in the forms of advertising and just things you come across online. All information that we consume contributes towards whatever art we make as a reaction to what we experience. So I suppose that for me, to continue making whatever it is that I am making, I need to feed any and all information I can into my mind.
4 – What are you currently fixated with? (Science, politics, technology, nature, etc.)
Plants as sentient friends.
5 – Can you explain your process and working environment?
A lot of my drawings are very immediate and intuitive, the goal is to get the idea out of my mind and onto paper as quickly as possible; it’s not really making art actually, it’s more like going through therapy! I enjoy making my more intricate drawings the most, though, they’re actually probably even more therapeutic. It’s just sitting down and making strokes on paper and letting your mind wander. It’s really nice.
6 – Financially, does art pay the bills or is it strictly for fun?
Haha, I wish. Student finance pays my bills right now.
7 – Is there anything on your mind or something you’d like others to know about? (Books, people, happenings, favorite X-men character, etc.)
Everyone should know that they are precious!
Natalya, thank you for taking the time to comment on our questions. We appreciate your filter on life and the things that make it through to this world. Keep it up. Keep Exploring. Keep Living.
- J&K
