Interview: Katya Kan
Luca Curci talks with Katya Kan during CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2021, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

An idiosyncratic specimen of globalization, I was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from my father being North Korean and my mother being Russian. Having caught a glimpse of the ex-USSR, I have a nostalgic, conflicting perception of political and cultural systems. Devoid of a homeland, I focus my art on the themes of ethnical atomization, emptiness and nostalgia. Unable to fully assimilate into any one culture, I find myself as an outsider with an eclectic artistic taste. Art represents the act of seeking, assembling and immortalizing beauty. Through my artistic practice, I recreate the state of inspiration and emancipation, experienced during my childhood. My works strive to capture ephemeral impressions. The concepts, which I explore in my work, include globalization, surveillance, nostalgia, utopia and eroticism. Recently, I was involved in initiatives with the ICA and the Soho Revue in London, UK; Untitled Space and New York Art Expo in NYC, SCOPE Miami, the Pacific Design Center and the Other Art Fair in Los Angeles as well as TSE Art Destination and Esentai Gallery in Kazakhstan as well as the Nikolskaya Gallery in Moscow amongst other art collectives.

Luca Curci – Which subject are you working on?
Katya Kan – I’m working on utopia, childhood, nostalgia for my artworks.

LC – How did you get to your current artistic practice?
KK – I always enjoyed the process of drawing and I find it therapeutic.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it your medium of expression?
KK – Yes, it’s one of my main mediums of expression as I was anti-social and shy as a child.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
KK – Being an artist is liberating spiritually nowadays, but at the same time, can lead to envy on the part of other people, who have from nine to five jobs.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
KK – My video art was previously exhibited with Its Liquid at the Venice Biennale 2018, so I feel a strong connection to the cultural landscape of Venice, the Biennale and Italy, as a whole.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
KK – The artworks I exhibited are part of a 2D series I’m working on based on the theme of self-empowerment and my experience of living in the UK from the age of 10.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
KK – I do suggest collaborating with Its Liquid, but I equally think that there should be some free places for participating.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
KK – Yes, definitely.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
KK – Yes, I did despite the pandemic difficulties, and I also appreciated being sent photos from the exhibition for my social media channels.