Cirque © Photo: Inna Banan
There the process of interpersonal communication means much more than the end result, linking Elena Mosiyko’s art to action painting practiced by Jackson Pollock whose abstract expressionist works were created in some state of trance, a psychoanalysis of his own. Elena’s approach only differs in the subject: it is a model, not herself, that she tries to analyze in her artistic ‘trance’.
— Elena, would you mind telling our audience a bit about yourself?
— I am an artist specializing in body art. Having thought a lot about a concise and succinct definition of the subject of my art, I would now come up with a phrase ‘exploring the contradictions of this world’. We are all immersed in a certain social context, and all my life I’ve been wondering: why the things are the way they are, and not otherwise? I’ve been questioning everything in and around me, from my art and personal life to the perennial issues I find important. I think my main aim is to ask my audience these questions, for none of them have definite answers — any answer is true and false at the same time, and truth is only found in arguments, discussions, narrations and stories of human lives.
Besides, I enjoy thinking that creation is a way to spread beauty around the world. We artists have the means to highlight emotions and distract the audience from their beaten tracks, show them new dimensions and bring extra light into their lives. At least, this is what I want to believe in.
— This year, you have participated in two exhibitions. What were your projects there like?
My two most recent projects were created for the ‘Dreams’ exhibition by CISTA ARTA in London and for the NYLights ART EXHIBITION by IKSAD at the Awita Gallery in New York.
The first was devoted to dreams and the worlds our subconsciousness takes us to. I contributed my neuro metamorphosis artwork. It was created with the help of the hidden labyrinths of mind that we revisit in our sleep, never knowing whether we shall find ourselves among the lovely and pleasant memories or in the dark corners of our inner universe. Having a degree in biology, I sought inspiration in anatomical charts and schemes of neural connections. That is how I came up with this work.
neuro metamorphosis © Photo: Sasha Savina
In the second project the subject was up to me, so I chose one of my favourite themes: thoughts on our future as a biological species, our essential dissimilarities from the animals, the possibility of us still being animals, the impact of modern cities on us and our actual adaptability to urban life. Sketching my work, I encountered yet another very interesting theme: what are the borders of objectification of women, is it appropriate to admire them regarding the shift in the ethics, what does society drive us to do in pursuit of ideal beauty? All of this merged into the single Urban primate work.
— You have tried various media. What made you settle on such an exotic one as body painting, still new even today?
— As a matter of fact, I don’t find body painting exotic within the modern context. There are all sorts of artistic means today, we only have to choose what best resonates with ourselves.
In my career I have tried all kinds of media: pottery, oil painting, music, and even carpentry. But each time I stepped into a new territory and became interested in a certain medium, I felt like something in it is still not enough. It didn’t take me too long to realize that visual arts give me the best response. In oil painting, I have always been fascinated with the textures and colors, in pottery — with dimensions, structures and freedom of form and space, but at the same time I was always starving for an opportunity to combine all of these qualities and genuinely fall in love with a medium.
Urban primate © Photo: Sasha Savina
My love story with body art began as an accident: once I found a box of water-based face paint at home and asked a guest to lend me her hand for a test. Long story short, it was hours later that I came back to earth, my guest’s body painted overall. For one thing, I was carried away with the very scope of painting – the surface of a human body is about 2 square meters, – and for another, a body makes an incredible canvas, a living, breathing, moving, feeling, speaking one. I don’t believe anything like that is applicable in traditional painting.
Quite soon I became focused on this art form. I love it that my model and myself form some kind of a connection between us — we are co-creators here, within a single continuum. I also love being free from any compelling limitations in my work (which was really annoying with other media): I can take any area of the body and use any materials and techniques. For instance, in my recent projects I used artificial hair, gelatin, honey, oil, and clay, not to mention makeup and face paint — a range that is bound to mesmerize.
— The origins of body art lay in the area of performance practices and action art. Do you go into performance or are photos enough for you?
— This is a tricky question. Photos are the result of my work, and I like being able to capture what I do and make it last. But the shooting itself is a kind of a performance where I engage with the model and the photographer: the model lends me her body to materialize my designs, while I try to perceive her feelings, listen to her, tune into her vibes. My artistic practice is indissoluble from my ‘objects’, if I may say so: my experience is drawn not only from my own ideas and designs, but also from the emotional state of the person I am painting on, one cannot be separated from the other. I think I’m no different from other artists in having made lots of mistakes and having ended with aborted projects: mine most often resulted from the lack of integrity — my vision would differ from that of my team, or the model’s plastique or mood would not let me unfold my idea, etc.
Monetochka in red © Photo: Sasha Savina
Back to the question: I have a feeling that my ultimate goal is to document a performance by photography; and, put like this, it makes me believe that most artists feel the same.
The process of creating a work of art really matters a lot, not less than the output itself.
— Your words have reminded me of Jackson Pollock’s action painting, where the process of making was equally important, sometimes even more important than the result. Unlike the originators of body art, you prefer working with a model’s body instead of your own. Why is it so important for you?
— There are two main reasons, one of them purely practical. It’s just more convenient for me to have a look from the outside and be able to correct my work on someone else’s body. I also like to use unfixable materials such as body gel that I paint different colors to create various textures. It would be much more difficult to apply such techniques to my own body.
The other reason is much more personal. In my life I have experienced really hard periods of hating my body, sometimes I was on the verge of dysmorphophobia, and I suffered from bulimia. It was very difficult for me and it took me a lot of work to get out of it, so I believe this is one of the reasons why I enjoy body art so much, engaging with very different people, their bodies and their stories. I know that one day I’ll become brave enough to make a project of my own body in tribute to that chapter of my life story — but I want to be as correct and cautious as possible, because I know how delicate this subject is for so many people. My deepest wish is to make anyone with the similar experience feel my understanding, support and, of course, my love through my works.
The fallen 2 © Photo: Igor Pavlov
— Your artist statement says that you aim to show different states and stages of the life of a human body, ‘from birth to death’, and the impact of the environment on a body. But in your portfolio I’ve found nothing but photos of conventionally looking models. Are you going to go further and include models of different ages, ethnicities and sizes? People with disabilities, perhaps?
— I guess I have to make it clearer what I mean by my artist statement. It says that our bodies are imprinted with our entire life stories from the moment we are born. A childhood scar left by a nail or a blade, a cherished strangely located beauty spot, a strand of grey hair, an unusually long eyelash… I enjoy working with any kind of body, because all these little things speak tons about a person even if the model stays silent, and my work embraces and enhances this extremely private territory.
As for working with people who differ: I am always open to experiment and ready to take any opportunities, and I choose models for my projects by their vibes, not their looks — I know that if I’m interested in someone and drawn to them, it’s not because of their legs or their waist.
Fairytales © Photo: Sasha Savina
— Are there any projects you are going to take on in the near future?
— There always are, the only question is which will come out first. One of the closest to be published in mass media is a story of a girl lost in her childhood and childhood in general. The photographer and I will explore a doll as a symbol, explore its ‘small’ artificial life.
Another plan is to do a major art project devoted to my feelings of the years in exile — I want it to be a very personal conversation about the tragedies we have to witness against our will, positions we may take, and the struggle to stay human regardless of the feeling that the concepts of the world and society are a complete failure.
— Lately, many fashion brands have been trying to engage with contemporary artists. Which brand would you be willing to collaborate with and what would you contribute?
— I am always glad to be invited to collaborate on shootings. I think that body art provides a perfect opportunity to make the visuals epic. I enjoy the drama and fantasy of the storytelling of the brands I follow, and I’ve been keen on fashion and perfume for quite a long time already, so if I’m approached for a collaboration on a campaign or a commercial, it’ll make me very happy. By the way, I’ve also always been fascinated by music and would enjoy shooting a video with my favorite musicians and their crews.
I’d rather not give out any certain names that I prefer: there are many people and brands I admire and revere, and I believe I could come up with a great concept for any possible collaboration.
Vika in blue © Photo: Sasha Savina
