10 Questions with Oxana Kovalchuk

Oxana Kovalchuk is an artist from Kazakhstan, currently living and working in New York/New Jersey. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Economics from Omsk State University in Russia and completed her M.F.A. in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2019. Her projects directly reflect how she feels and thinks about important events in her life. Kovalchuk has participated in group shows locally and internationally, including Six Summit Gallery show at the Port Authority, Art Hearts Fashion/ New York Fashion Week at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in New York, WhiteBox Annex @ ChaShaMa, New York, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in New York, M.A.D.S. Gallery Milano in Italy, Art Fair 14C in Jersey City, and Lankai Art Gallery in Anshan City, China. Kovalchuk is also a founding member of StartaArta, an organization that curates and organizes art shows, panel discussions, and performance events.

www.oxanakovalchuk.com | @art_oxana_nyc

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a visual artist. I have moved many times from one country to another, and every time I assimilate into a new culture, I feel parts of me change. I always feel a little bit like a foreigner, never fully belonging—but at the same time, I feel like a stranger in the country from which I left. My artistic process explores my overlapping experiences as a woman, immigrant, mother, and artist.
My artistic practice is an opportunity to speak out about the events happening around me that excite me. One of my biggest sources of inspiration is my children and the events in our daily lives.

The main topics that I am currently exploring are the immigration journey, how memories are recalled, and the determination of the human spirit. My most recent body of work is about the extremes people will take in the pursuit of fanatical faith and the creation of gods and icons.
Psychology is an underlying factor in much of my art. I have always been intrigued by human behavior. Therefore, I incorporate psychological aspects into the topics I choose so I can view them from different angles.

Making Fools Pray To God | DESCRIPTION

Curated by Kyoko Sato

Oxana's body of work "Making Fools Pray To God" metamorphoses Christian saints from her private arsenal into contemporary 'deities' revered by the masses, people at large, under new guises. Availed of a Psychological aptitude and possessing sharp insights on the field of world economics, she sees that the spiritual 'links' today have an equivalent in the 'realities' provided us through iPhone, iPad, computer, or TV screens. We are surrounded by those audio-visual vicissitudes, unavoidable in our daily lives. Our eyes and souls rest on them implacably for good or for bad. Certain humans took over the place of saints—idols and influencers have become the icons of popular culture, icons of excelsior opinion, icons of success. Perhaps a bit unwisely, obsessed believers continue making their thoughts public through their use of 'confessional' social mores, attracting people into their own specific sacrosanct 'personal-cultural'. Such idols may be good or bad as it may. Ironically, a Russian proverb states, "If you make a fool to pray to God, he will roll his own head", meaning zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse.

INTERVIEW

Could you tell our readers how you became an artist? Your background lies in Psychology and Economics; how did you get interested in art? 

I started drawing very early. I still remember a set of gouache paints I got as a Christmas present at the age of 4 and began taking art classes. Then, I applied to a prestigious fine arts middle school, which had a very competitive admission process. I submitted my portfolio, took the exam, and was accepted. I graduated with a "red diploma", a distinction of excellence.
As sometimes happens in life, I took different paths. I met a mentor and became interested in psychology, not knowing then what a big influence would have on my art today.

I graduated from Omsk state with two degrees. My first degree was in psychology, then another degree in Economics. After graduation, I lived for a couple of years in Oxford in the UK. I then went to Moscow to pursue my career; however, I realized I was missing art and creativity in my life, so I joined a professional art studio for several years. My family and I then moved to New York, and this is where I knew I wanted to make art my profession.
I graduated from SVA, and now, I am developing my own professional artistic path. Art has always been part of my life in one way or another. It influenced all of my work in the art world and out and is part of everything I have done.

Is there anything you wish you knew about the contemporary art world before becoming an artist yourself?

Maybe because I came to the table with so much experience from all over the world, I was not naive to what I would face, and I was aware of the difficulties. I will say that contrary to popular belief, artists must be very organized and professional. The misconception that artists can be moody or do not adhere to deadlines is untrue. As artists, what you are creating is only one aspect.
You can't be successful unless you make organization a priority. This is even more important if you have a family. Details like logistics for a show, installation, and dealing with the galleries are all part of our jobs, yet they are not often discussed. Tight deadlines, consistency, and stability are also important. At the same time, artists need to be visible and active in the art community and on social media.

You are originally from Kazakhstan but are currently located in New York. Do you think moving helped your career? And what are the main differences?

I was born and raised in Kazakhstan. The culture of Kazakhstan influenced my early life, my traditions, and family values. I grew up at a pivotal time period when the Soviet Union was losing power, and the Kazakh language and culture were becoming more of an influence. This taught me to be more flexible in my thinking, and I learned that the world is much bigger than I realized.
It is complicated for me to evaluate the difference between Kazakhstan and America. I have never been a professional artist in Kazakhstan. However, I can say that here in New York, artists have many more opportunities to share their art and participate in exhibitions. Art is written into this society of NYC. Art is interesting not only to the artists but to the public. Artists in Kazakhstan were struggling, and there were very few paths to making art a career. In NY, it is not easy, but it is possible, and there are many chances to do so.

In your work, you create a new iconography for our current times. Drawing upon traditional Christian iconography, you represent businessmen, influencers, and other idols of our time as saints and holy figures. How did you come up with this idea?

These are my reflections on the topic of the time in which we live. Our modern times resemble the Middle Ages more and more. We've experienced a pandemic, which triggered a variety of fears. We watched as people were publicly punished on social media, which felt almost like the middle ages' merciless executions and public punishments. We watched people try and destroy those whose views and opinions differed from our own thoughts. The search for new 'idols' and 'saints' has 'infatuated' many people. We worship social media influencers as much as the people of the middle ages worshiped religious idols.

When deciding to use images of icons, I did not come to this decision by chance. I needed to show how easy it is to become a modern saint using this very powerful and colorful art form. I changed the images to represent our modern way of life, creating a clear contrast between the works of thousands of years ago and what exists in our modern age. Today our idols might change with the change of a fashion trend. The permanence of what once existed in the artwork of idols can now change weekly.

What is your creative process like? How do you choose the images to modify, and how do you work on them?

My creative process always starts with an idea. I explore the idea, research the details, understand the history, study the science and then create the concept. This is probably the most difficult and painful part.
At this stage, I have the concept and am forming an action plan. I plan my materials, techniques, the size of the project, and any other details. Some ideas work and are successful, and others need to be changed. For example, there are times when I was sure a material would work well, and it doesn't. I try something unexpected, and it works out better than I could have imagined. Finally, I do the sketches of the project, and then I am ready to start the main project.

What messages do you want to convey with this project? Is there an underlying criticism of our society's dynamic that you want to show?

The digital environment has created a culture of opinion leaders whose achievements are questionable and can be easily replaced. Their success is built on likes, clicks, and subscribers, but what are they actually worth?
Some of them really deserve trust and attention, but many are empty, especially loudly shout about personal successes and demand worship, considering themselves "saints", whom everyone should blindly follow.
Some of our modern idols deserve our trust and attention, however most are superficial and self-important. They brag about their personal success and demand our worship. They consider themselves our modern-day "saints".
I used an art form I view as powerful to show how far we have come from the ideals of the past. The images embedded into the icons further emphasize how random people are elevated to the rank of "saint". It is bizarre that in our modern world, people create idols and, even worse, blindly follow them without question. It is also very strange for me that belief in something crosses all boundaries and turns into a mad obsession and even fanaticism.

This fanaticism manifests itself in completely different areas of life. Sometimes it can be the belief that following the trend of fashion and using plastic surgery and beauty injections to change one's appearance can influence success. Another obsession is totally trusting social media. As a result, we stopped questioning what is true. As an example, we saw this during the pandemic as conspiracy theories became popular.
In addition, one more example. The endless faith in what wellness is and how we should live. This has also been largely "preached" to us through social media. It is packaged almost as a religion in an attempt to convert everyone and everything around them to this "faith", even if, paradoxically, it can harm health.

How much do you think art can stimulate and raise awareness of pressing themes nowadays?

A lot, I think. It seems to me that art always looks for points of tension and can shed light on many subjects. Art always highlights important events that are happening around us that excite people.
It is always very interesting to walk through some galleries in New York City and witness that. You can see which topics are revealed, which issues attract attention, and what trends are on the surface at the moment.
Contemporary art is not only about awareness. Contemporary artists are invited to enter into a dialogue, talk about what is happening around us and what trends and problems concern society today.

Over the past year, we have witnessed many changes in the art world and our lives in general. What things did you discover thanks to the pandemic? And how did they impact your career as an artist?

The pandemic was a global crisis. It exposed our weaknesses and problems. I grew up in the Soviet Union - Kazakhstan-Russia, where there were many crises. Naturally, this carries instability and difficulties. But there are also positive aspects. A crisis hardens and teaches us to find ways out of difficult situations, and the strongest survives. During the pandemic, people began to look for new ways out.
It was very difficult and scary for me during the pandemic, as well as for others. I devoted this time to my family and concentrated on my projects. During this time, I started two new series of works.

Did you take part in any online exhibitions recently? And what do you think of them?

I had the opportunity to experience participating in such exhibitions - some of them arose because real shows did not take place, and they were transferred to an online format. I can say that I am not a fan of online art exhibitions. I believe that watching art in person gives us a better opportunity to engage with what is in front of us. I prefer to go to a real museum or gallery, rather than view art online.

Finally, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

Now I am preparing for the opening of my solo exhibition, "MAKING FOOLS PRAY TO GOD". This is a collaboration project with my curator, Kyoko Sato. I have a couple of series waiting for me, which I started at the height of the pandemic and plan to finish. In November, I have a second solo exhibition planned, but I'll keep the topic a secret for now.