Artist In Focus: Katya Stelmashchuk

Hello, Katya! Thank you for making time for this interview, and we are happy to welcome you at HAZE Gallery. Tell us, please, about yourself, your artistic practice, and your lifestyle.

Thank you for this opportunity. I’m thrilled to have my photos showcased among the works of fellow photographers. I’m Katya, a Ukrainian photographer, a poet, and a content writer (not necessarily in that order). I used to be a digital nomad, jumping from country to country, but the pandemic has somehow changed the situation, so currently I am staying in one place and, just like the song by Depeche Mode said, I “let my mind do the walking”. I’ve visited 15 countries so far, and I would love to add some new ones to the list.

You’ve lived in the US and Spain and traveled a lot all over the world. How did this experience impact your mindset?

Probably every traveler would agree that once you start exploring new places and cultures, your life splits into “before” and “after” periods. The funny thing is that you never want to go back to the mentality you had before. In my case, traveling was the thing that liberated me in so many aspects, for example, I got past my fears. I also started being more curious about the things and people around, the categories of “Others” and “Otherness”, metaphorically speaking. That has definitely changed the way I perceive life and art.

How did you manage to visit so many countries by the age of 28? Please share the most vivid impressions from the trips with us.

I have always enjoyed moving around, regardless of what the destination was, my grandma’s house in the nearby village or a summer camp in Poland. I’ve been following this B-day tradition since 2016, when you go to a new place for your birthday annually. I liked it at once, I would think, “hey, why not stay somewhere longer than for a weekend?”. So, one day I applied for a program in the United States where I eventually spent two incredible years. I traveled to Mexico and Costa Rica as well as across the US.

I have so many great impressions from my trips, but if I have to pick one, that would be a flight from NYC to Las Vegas to see the Rolling Stones performing live. I spent all the money I had, I stayed at the cheapest accommodation I could afford, which was like 3 miles walking from the main boulevard along the highway under the scorching sun. And these guys just killed the performance, it was an arena where four generations met and had so much fun singing along with their favorite band. Some of the exhibited photos, by the way, were taken in Las Vegas during that weekend.

Tell us, please, about your life philosophy and the way it’s reflected in your art.

That would be, “stay in the moment, live it, feel it, think later”. Photography is a perfect medium for me to convey the feeling of being here and now, as you always deal with the present when you shoot a picture, in particular, portraits. It’s even more so when you do street photography with so many people being present around you in real time. And it’s just when you start editing the images or forming a series, you think about it.

What are your main sources of inspiration? Do you prefer creating spontaneously or is it more about preparing the things in advance?

It’s when my mind is open to exploring, I get most of my ideas. Literally, I could be on a train and spot an interesting color combination, a shape of a thing or a situation, which I would either develop right away or keep it until the time is right. There are a few things I always pay attention to, like geometry, light, and colors. However, I don’t intentionally try to brainstorm ideas, they just emerge.

How did you get into photography?

I remember spending my first salary for my first camera, Fujifilm AV 100, back in high school. At the time 12 MP was a thing, you know. The camera has always been with me ever since. Professionally though, I got into photography after taking a Film Photography class while staying in the US. I just can’t find the words to describe how much it influenced me, all those darkroom things… Indeed, it's pure magic you’re doing yourself. It was only when I got my digital camera and was asked to do some portraits, I realized I could create a whole beautiful story with it, not just photographing what I see. I try to think “in series” as a visual artist, because it helps to tell an interesting narrative, present a complete picture.

You share the passion between photography and poetry. How do you combine these art languages?

That’s my favorite thing to do! It often happens when I want to title a photo and just end up writing a poem. You can see this on my Instagram account, I rarely use just a title. I don’t know how that works, but in my head, literature and photography are really interconnected. They are both used to show one’s courage, openness, and vulnerability, to some extent.

Photography enables you to observe the distance between the human being and the world around them, enjoy the loneliness, and reflect on it. Louis Buñuel used to say that sitting alone at the bar is an exercise in loneliness, so I feel the same about taking my camera and going into the streets for shooting.

Can you think of an artwork, e.g. a photograph or a painting that inspires you?

I’m inspired by the way some artists live and think rather than by their artworks (except for the colors, here I should mention J. Vermeer, R. Magritte, and S. Dali). Just like Annie Leibovitz wrote in her book, if you want to learn to take good portraits, you should start with your own family and the closest ones. That’s great working advice, and I learned a lot from just taking pictures of the people I was comfortable with.

I remember reading 50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship by Salvador Dali, his approach towards the creative process just blew my mind away! Like, for Dali, it would be a special ritual, where one follows their own rules, unleashes their mind, gets rid of the logical thinking until it comes to making colors. Not that I’m following all his crazy ideas, I really appreciate his courage to approach art the way he wants to. A person who is free to shape one’s ideas and creativity and stays unique while doing so, is a true artist for me.

Please tell us how you come up with ideas for your photographs, and when the implementation starts. Where do you usually work? Do you have any unusual rituals in the working process?

What I’ve learned the hard way is that you always have to write down your ideas right away when they appear. They come and go, good and bad ones, just like our responses to some events or fantasies or glitches in the system. The best thing you can do in this situation is keep them in some place safer than your memory. I can’t even tell you how many great lines and settings I forgot merely getting out of the shower.

Most of my ideas should stand the test of time: if they’re still good a week or a month after, they are worth working further with. However, I also have those moments of sudden enlightenment, when I see a picture in my head and just start doing my best to translate it into reality.

Street photography liberates you in a way, you don’t need to have a particular idea of shooting while leaving the house, because you just enter the world that comes down on you, so you better be fast capturing it. As for the rituals, the only one I have is to turn off notifications while working.

How has the pandemic affected your creative process in terms of goal setting? Do you have periods of burnout? How do you struggle with them?

Last year helped me realize that you as a photographer are the best model you can ever have. I’ve experimented with taking self-portraits a lot since the lockdown started, and I couldn’t see anyone for about a month. I think this situation has shifted the focus, but it won’t hinder creativity. Finally I cataloged all my photos, so now I can see that many of them are united by the same idea.

I do have times when I don’t feel like taking pictures at all. I wouldn’t call it a burnout, rather a need for a reload. And when it happens, I never fight, I always give in. I just know it’s a transient state.

What are your future artistic plans and ongoing projects? Tell us, please, about your upcoming collaboration with HAZE Gallery.

Now I’m working on a book, which is a collection of poems and photographs. That would be the essence of my creative vision at this point. Besides, I have another two projects in progress. One is all about urban geometry, while the other one focuses on women's bodies. I would be happy to show them both at HAZE Gallery as soon as they’re ready.

How do you think the art world will shape in the future?

That’s a great question, especially in the wake of the NFTs topic. I think the latter will influence the issues of authorship and ownership rather than art itself. What we face now is a so-called “creative anonymity”, when it’s really hard to prove it was you who took the picture or created a slo-mo or any other kind of visual content. Digital art has already been established as an art form, there was just a problem with the ownership rights and monetizing. Well, now I guess they have found the solution.

I don’t think, though, painting or photography will disappear or become less important as long as there are some people who are ready to invest their time, energy, and money into it. Hopefully, there will be a few for the next hundred years.