Interview: Olga Yakunina
Luca Curci talks with Olga Yakunina during FUTURE LANDSCAPES, third appointment of BORDERS Art Fair 2020, at The ROOM Contemporary Art Space.

“My name is Olga Yakunina! I was born and raised in Moscow, graduated from the Moscow Finance Academy but have been working and living in Vienna with my family for 25 years. I am a self-taught artist and I have only seriously taken up painting a couple of years ago, even though I have loved painting since childhood”.

Luca Curci – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
Olga Yakunina – A chance encounter with a talented young artist from Saint Petersburg inspired me to pursue my enthusiasm and passion for art, so I took up painting full time.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
OY – In my works, I use different techniques and subject matters, but all my paintings, in one way or another, reflect the beauty, aesthetics and mood of a captured, fleeting moment.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
OY – In my opinion, being an artist in our time is not so easy. It can prove quite difficult to find one’s own direction, one’s niche, one’s audience; it is hard to stand out and not repeat what someone else has already done. On the other hand, the huge amount of artistic movements, techniques and ideas gives scope to an artist’s creative thought.

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way?
OY – This past year has particularly helped me re-evaluate my position as an artist: during these uncertain times I had more time to concentrate on my art, to rethink the directions of its development; and as a result, new goals and ideas emerged: I began working and cooperating with other artists and photographers, and started to collaborate with new galleries, not only from Austria but also from other countries.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this exhibition? How is it connected to the theme of the entire festival?
OY – The theme of the exhibition is very close to my heart. I rest and recover while in communion with nature; I find subjects for my works and draw inspiration from nature, observing its beauty and uniqueness. Of course, the most important task of the human race is to protect, preserve and maintain our planet’s biggest asset – nature! For example, my painting of the sea features vibrant algae growing on the rocks in the seawater. As everyone knows, marine plants and animals can only exist and bring us joy with their beauty in a favourable ecological environment. My message therefore is, if we want to admire this incredible underwater world, we must make every effort to help its preservation and prosperity!

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
OY – I am very excited about my collaboration with ITSLIQUID GROUP.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
OY – What stands out to me on the ITSLIQUID GROUP platform is its equality, openness and accessibility – the fact that artists from different countries, different artistic movements, different levels of experience and popularity, are given an equal opportunity to demonstrate their art to the whole world.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
OY – I would like to express my gratitude to the ITSLIQUID GROUP team, for their remarkable work, the incredible organization, for their enthusiasm, dedication, efficiency and amiability. I am excited about the projects future collaborations will bring.