Artist
From Tver, Russia
Based in Moscow, Russia
We interviewed inspiring Maria Kostareva, whose works are a study of human behavior and relationships conveyed through figurative abstraction and color interplay. She shared with us her impressive journey, views on art, and many more!
A: Please, tell us a bit more about yourself. What brought you into art?
M: As a child, I visited an art school. My mother painted well, too. I always wanted to be an artist, but I grew up in a small village and it was hard for me to believe that that was possible. For several years I tried to combine my art practice with a designer career at a publishing house in Moscow. It wasn't easy, but after a while, I finally quit my regular job and since then, I have been a full-time artist. In the end, the most important thing was to give myself permission to call myself an artist. When I started introducing myself to new people like that, I got the confidence that it was true.
A: What inspires you the most?
M: I’m inspired by life in its smallest details. I believe that life is built not around ‘big’ events, but in our daily interactions.
A: Do you have any specific rituals while working(creating)?
M: I make sure to work in a calm state, so sometimes I meditate before I begin. I also often paint to music, right now it is Race to Space.
A: What would you recommend to someone new to art (an artist or just an admirer), what to begin with?
M: Be curious and open-minded.
A: Your top 3 adjectives related to art?
M: Open, saturated, vital.
A: The best angle to look at art is...?
M: ...from your heart.
A: The perfect phrase to start any conversation about art?
M: Why does it touch you? What do you feel when you look at this piece?
A: Must-read books to talk about art (or do we even need them)?
M: I think it all starts with looking anyway, but there are some amazing books that can help you start looking deeper into art.
My favorites:
Manet and the Object of Painting by Michel Foucault,
Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation by Gilles Deleuze,
The Great Image Has No Form, or On the Nonobject through Painting by François Jullien.
A: If you could change one thing in the art world - what would it be?
M: Any changes have unpredictable consequences, so I would leave everything as it is.
A: Please, share your favorite quote (not necessarily related to art)
M: "Of course, it is happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
J.K. Rowling, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’
Thank you!
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