Interview: Inna Mazur
Luca Curci talks with Inna Mazur during THE BODY LANGUAGE 2021, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

I am a Ukrainian illustrator who mainly specializes in fashion illustration. I was born and brought up in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and the city of great cultural heritage. I was showing interest in the art sphere since childhood when I became fascinated with the watercolor painting technique. Despite obtaining high education in English linguistics, I have been always pursuing my dream to become an artist attending various art courses and masterclasses in oil painting, digital illustrations and watercolors. The turning point in my artistic vision and ambitions came when I happened to walk by David Downton‘s exhibition in Kyiv. I was so excited and inspired that I decided to switch to fashion illustration. In 2013 I went to Central Saint Martins (London) to improve my fashion illustration skills and in several months I met David Downton at Mercedes Benz Fashion Days in Kyiv. Since that time I have been focused on creating fashion illustrations for designers, private clients and some interesting projects (for the bridal boutique in LA, USA). I participated in the exhibition “The Parisianer” in the museum of Spiritual Treasures of Ukraine, Kyiv (2014) and Artbox.Project Zürich 1.0 in Swiss Art Expo (2019). Also, I was awarded in several illustration competitions (Fashion Print Fest, Kyiv, 2016). In 2018 I held the fashion illustration workshop for students of the University of Lyon, France. Moreover, several online fashion magazines have published interviews and information about my career. Currently, I am developing my skills in digital illustration and mixed media and I hope to have fruitful collaborations, projects and exhibitions in the near future.

Luca Curci – What are your thoughts while you paint? Do you have any habits or rituals while you work?
Inna Mazur – While painting I try to concentrate fully on the process, feeling the flow of creativity and thinking only about the technique and how to improve the work. Talking about the habits, I like to have calm music playing in the background while I paint. It relaxes, inspires and helps to get satisfaction from the process itself, not the result.

LC – How did you get to your current artistic practice?
IM – Since childhood, I have been interested in various forms of expressing creativity and I was attending painting classes (oil and watercolour), but then I switched to painting fashion illustration. It happened by chance after visiting an art gallery where the exhibition of the famous fashion illustrator David Downton took place. It inspired me to devote my time to improving my skills in this particular field.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it like your medium of expression?
IM – Absolutely! I guess that art always expresses the inner state of the artist and reveals something he/she wants to share, even if it is subconsciously. In my illustrations I try to convey the idea that each person, especially women (because fashion illustrations are mainly about women and their self-expression) should pay attention to self-love, belief in their strength, gain confidence and beat self-doubt.

LC – How do you feel when you see your work completed?
IM – It depends on the outcome, but usually after completion, I feel and see what should have been improved or changed. It gives me the motivation to develop further.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
IM – Currently artists usually gain attention and promotion via social media that has its pros and cons. It seems that it simplifies the marketing process happening through various social media channels, but, at the same time, it requires too much time to focus on marketing and distracts attention from the process of pure creativity. The key to success is to balance these two activities.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this festival? How did it inspire you?
IM – I liked the idea of The Body Language exhibition, the concept of how the body changes under external circumstances and how it adapts to survive.

LC – Can you explain something about the performance you held in our exhibition?
IM – My work is about the person who was used to the common life before the pandemic times, about the values that were misinterpreted. The circumstances that suddenly changed the perception of the world were very painful, but, at the same time, they made the person think about true values.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
IM – Everything is great, the locations are inspiring and the organizational issues have been resolved quickly with interest and attention.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
IM – Yes, I am looking forward to participating in future contests and exhibitions.

LC – What are your suggestions about our services? Is there something more we can provide to artists?
IM – I am fully satisfied with the level of services and I hope to attend the next exhibition in Venice in person. Good luck!