Interview with artist Pavel Zeldovich

Where do you come from, where and when were you born?

I was born in Moscow in 1986, in the last years of the USSR. I grew up in the 1990s, a very difficult and controversial time for Russia – a period of high hopes, unrestrained capitalism, and the huge influence of western culture and liberal freedoms, but also of widespread poverty, criminality, and corruption. As kids, we idolized foreign toys and Hollywood action blockbusters featuring Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme, and others. It coincided with a very persistent cult of brute force and predatory aggression as a virtue. Due to the widespread culture of criminality in 1990`s Russia, a very perverse ideal of manhood emerged at the time – an ideal of a street-smart, tough gangster-like type as a role model – sort of a hybrid between Michael Corleone from «Godfather» film and Tony Montana from «Scarface». A “real man” in Russia of the 90s was supposed to be a shrewd predator, always ready to fight other shrewd predators – in business, on the street, and even at home. With my rather anxious and non-confrontational nature, it was very difficult for me to adjust, because I felt my own inadequacy of this role model - an inadequacy that I felt nearly on a daily basis.

Please tell us your artistic vita in a few sentences.

If shortly – Originally I was an architect, worked in many countries, came back to Moscow, became an artist and then the war happened, so I moved to Berlin.

A bit longer story sounds like this. I come from a multi-generational family of architects on my mother`s side. My great-grandfather was Moisei Ginzburg – one of the most prominent constructivist architects in the 1920-30s. I studied architecture both in Moscow and Vienna, and for 6 years I was working in architectural bureaus in Vienna, London, New York, and Moscow. I was very fortunate to study and later work for the late Dame Zaha Hadid.

For a number of reasons, in 2019 I decided to quit architecture for good and turned to art. I used multiple digital skills that I acquired during my career as an architect, especially 3d software, and used them for a completely new purpose. During the next 3 years, things were looking pretty promising. I exhibited and sold my works, participated in the international biennale of digital art in Moscow, and then…

And then I woke up in the morning of 24-th February 2022 to realize that my country went insane and committed an unprovoked, aggressive invasion to Ukraine. This was a point of no return, not only for Russia but for myself. That changed everything, both inside and outside of Russia. That morning any «normal» future for me as an artist in Moscow was gone, as for many other of my compatriots, who disagree with what was happening. These circumstances forced me to reconsider my life choices and move to Berlin in the hope of a better future.

How would you describe your creative process?

First of all – I have a specific work philosophy. The more uncomfortable the topic that I intend to address – the more visually pleasing, even seductive (in a very deceptive way) the imagery that I am trying to produce. I believe that If you want to explore some difficult, perhaps unpleasant issue, it makes more sense at first to lure the audience into a false sense of security, a fake comfort zone that is actually a mental trap. If a viewer is deceived by visually pleasing, entertaining imagery, his mind relaxes and opens up for the hidden second layer – the true meaning of that particular work.

I use 3d modeling software as my main medium – it’s the legacy of my earlier architectural background. My experience as an architect shapes my creative process in many ways. I am a project person, which means that my approach is in many ways rather systematic. I know very precisely – what exactly am I doing and for what reason. Also, I usually split my work into several distinct stages.

Like many other artists, my work usually starts with a certain topic - a broader subject that I feel needs to be addressed. Then comes the long and exhausting search for the best visual approach that expresses that central thought in the strongest way possible. It is almost like inventing a new language or alphabet every single time. Once that step is complete, the images themselves - the frame composition, the shapes, the colors, the textures – all of it often emerges really quickly in my imagination, sometimes it takes mere seconds to envision them. The last – and the longest part – is to bring those visions to life as close to that original vision, as I can.

How do you go about choosing the subjects and scenes for your works?

I think there is a central theme to most of my projects up to date. That theme is – weakness and powerlessness. I am interested in things that, in a way, can imprison us without us ever realizing it. I am interested in powers that we, as human beings have very little control over - powers that shape our destiny but with our very limited ability to manage them, to make a difference. It can be the suffocating, repetitive daily routine of a city dweller, quasi-robotic school or office environment, genetically predisposed aggression in children, aging, and many other things.

But to be honest – the recent war in Ukraine really made me question myself about what is really important, and what is not. Certain topics that I considered big earlier, look a bit more insignificant now, considering the times we live in. And to be honest – at the moment this is still an ongoing process for me – the reevaluation of what subjects are really worth talking about now.

cute phone

balcony

What was the key influence that led to the development of your process and style?

As an artist, I was shaped by a combination of influences.

The first one would be the figurative neoclassical tradition of Soviet Realism - painters, sculptors, and architects, especially from the Stalin era, such as Vera Mukhina, Akeksandr Deyneka, and Georgy Nissky. For many decades, those artists served as propaganda tools for the regime, but at the same time, it was a very advanced form of academic, classical art. Those works had certain unique dominant, commanding, and grandiose energy in them.

The second very important influence was from American hyperrealist painters of the 1970s, Such as Ralph Goings and John Baeder. It had an extreme influence on me while growing up. What fascinated me is not the technique but rather the topics of their works – those artists preferred to paint so-called «boring» places: gas stations, cheap shops, and street diners, lousy Midwest suburbs…The point for me was almost ritualistic, nearly religious. By taking a boring place and recreating it on a canvas, they made those places place meaningful and important.

The third major influence would be Takashi Murakami. What really admire in his works – is his ability to seduce the audience with cartoonish bright colors and toy-related imagery, while often talking about horrifying things, such as Hiroshima Bombing. His works entertain you, while simultaneously sending an apocalyptic message. This very thin artistic line between visually pleasing form and uncomfortable content in many ways inspired my own approach.

What does art mean to you personally? Is there a goal you're trying to accomplish?

On one hand, for me, art is a form of personal communication, an energy exchange with an audience through my work. I guess for me making art has the same meaning as for rock or hip-hop musicians – performing in front of a stadium crowd. In my regular life, I am a pretty introverted person, even prone to social anxiety a bit. Exhibiting my artwork gives me a feeling of intense emotional contact with people who see it. On another hand, as a form of communication, art obviously opens the door for reflecting on where humankind is at the moment. It starts the discussions, it makes people feel, think and question things around them. That’s, what art historically does as long as humans exist as a species. And I feel very happy to be a part of this process.

Your art-piece “School Class” is on our cover 008 please tell us more about the story behind it?

“School Class” is a 3d artwork based on a photograph that nearly every person on Earth has at home – a school class group photo session. School can be heaven for one and hell for others. It is a very strict and stressful environment to be in – it does not matter in which country this experience is universal pretty much everywhere. In my personal point of view, school is a rather accurate social model for future adult life, especially for those people who will work in big offices. In both cases you need to be disciplined, perform your duties on time and you must have a good relationship with a big group of people because otherwise you will be ostracized by your peers on a daily basis. In this work, I try to take a look at school situations from various points of view – as a possible source of both happiness and pain simultaneously.