Starting a new chapter

Even though I believe in the death of the author, it feels unfair to leave my body of work without any context of explanation.

My name is Ilya, and I have been creating art for most of my life at this point. I started making short films and recording first albums almost 17 years ago, and since then I barely released any of the results to the public. Over the years, I produced over 100 paintings and collages (most of which didn't survive to this day), composed and recorded 14 albums, shot and edited dozens of art projects and independent films, wrote many texts ranging from theoretical analyses to post-modernist short stories, and produced hundreds of mixed media projects.

Many years ago, I was content with the mere act of creativity, but recently, I realised that the audience and feedback are as important as the work itself. If there is nobody to perceive my creative output, were my efforts worth my time?

Many aspects of my life changed over the years; however, for some reason, one thing stayed the same - my passion and relentlessness towards artistic practices, theory and understanding of art as something essential to comprehending our place in this world.

For a long time, I was of the impression that I have nothing special to say or add to the already-existing arguments and pools of ideas, but the more time I spent online, the more I understood that 90% of influencers or professionals have even less to contribute, and yet, this doesn't stop them from online presence.

In the world that is as fake and illusory as it is, I believe, it is important to be honest and sincere (as damaging as it can be due to the accessibility and almost-instant spread of data). In the globalised society, it can be hard to stay authentic and true to subjective selves, yet, the reflections of personal experiences, environments, and developments are what make us human.

As Malevich said simply but effectively, "There is a difference between creation and re-creation". AI models can process and re-create, many can copy or replicate, but true artistry is about looking outside the boundaries of the norms and reaching out to the mental states that can only be comprehended by through human flesh with its unfortunate attributes such as physical and psychological pain, mortality and care for ourselves and individuals around us.

In my work, I explore the subject of human experiences, including aspects such as time, death, existential dread and absurdity of existence, while also attempting to be sincere, humorous, spontaneous and experimental in everything I produce.

Final Thoughts

I fully acknowledge that what I do is niche and would appeal to a vast minority of indie-and-avant-garde-minded individuals, and yet, I am confident that if there is an inner urge to create the work that I create, then there have to be people who want or need it. Because a creator/artist is a product of his/her time, with their work documenting their epoch, which speaks louder than any historical account or raw data.

I invite you to explore my work, support my development as an artist, reach out and express how you feel, and become a participant in this exciting artistic journey!

This is me.