Nazar Bilyk: «I combine styles at the level of form, but the main thing for me is a search for succinct statement»

26.01.2016

Creation of sculpture is a laborious, time-consuming process, and, most importantly, it involves exclusive artist’s vision and skill. That is why sculpture is one of the most expressive forms of art. Hereditary sculptor Nazar Bilyk, whose works not only go out of the galleries into urban space, but which are also sold at the world's leading auctions, has invited ART UKRAINE to his new studio, where he spoke about his own creative method.

 

Sculptors often face a choice whether to devote their career to the improvement of urban space or to interior decoration. The second case almost rules out possible destruction of your work and usually implies large fees. What is closer to you — a monumental outdoor sculpture or an interior one?

 

I do not think that the sculptors are tormented by this question, because there is an aspiration to universality. I, like every sculptor, would like to see my work "out" on the street, for it not to be just a part of the exhibition or living space. I like contact with urban environment, where thousands of people who, even if unwittingly, are immersed in the space where sculpture plays an important role. You could say that I am doing projects in the galleries too, but my soul always wishes the work to become a part of the city and to interact with viewers more.

 

There is an opinion that installations, art objects are gradually replacing classical sculpture. What do you think about this? Don’t you think that, say, bust personalized sculpture disappears?

 

I think these are two parallel paths that have always existed. There is classics, and there is an experimental zone. Monumental sculpture addressed a person or an important event. But park sculpture does not necessarily depict a hero and glorifies him. It is more free. The parks are becoming a place for a variety of installations and sculpture searches worldwide. I don’t see any changes in the development of these two paths. There is just more attention for open spaces sculpture now, it is more exciting and affordable.

Is non-person sculpture closer to the viewer? One can associate it with anything. The monumental works usually are characterized by a certain finality. Identification excludes imagination, does it not?

 

There are lots of monuments that are designed to exalt, but they avoid conventional methods used 30, 40, 50 years ago. Such works are devoid of pathos inherent in the ruling regime, when it is necessary to talk about genius with seriousness. Think of a beautiful monument to Albert Einstein, who appears before the viewer in the form of a child. And thus it's not just a man on a pedestal, holding a book with formulas in his hands, it is someone who is much closer to us.

 

How do you choose the material for your future work, and is there the one that you prefer over the others?

 

There is no favorite one. I choose them depending on the objectives. I used a transparent material (absolutely non-sculptural) in some of my works, and joined it with traditional material. I was interested in the paradox there, but I would not have singled it out as a "favorite material". Lately I work a lot with plastic. While it is a synthetic material, not organic, it is very easy to use.

 

It can be called the symbol of our time!

 

Exactly! It is very symbolic. I take the cheapest material and realize artistic intent with it. Speaking globally, I change its everyday, consumer meaning. Nevermind that it's plastic. It used to be considered fragile, but in fact they make yacht bottoms with it; it is stronger than any kind of bronze or marble, and more mobile. The idea is that I’m making something valuable out of the garbage, attaching new meanings to unnecessary things, reformatting them.

 

I was astonished to know that you combine active artist career with teaching at the Academy of Arts. Often teachers at Ukrainian artistic institutions are those who have not able to create anything original, whose theory has never had a practical aid, while successful artists are engaged in realization of their potential and stay away from teaching. Is it so?

 

Well, you somewhat exaggerated... There is a question of time allocation. When I graduated from the Academy in 2005, they invited a whole group of former students to teach there, and we agreed, and it felt as if continuing studying. Of course, it is technically difficult sometimes to combine teaching and realization of your own projects, but I’m not lecturing, my teaching is more akin to a consultation. Here I see the main value, to talk about what's important to you. But a gap between schools, generations and ideologies exists. It's not a secret, as the university currently operates on a different principles than when it had been created.

 

What subject do you teach and what do you feel about it?

 

The very basic subject, drawing. It is difficult to overestimate its importance in contemporary art. It quickly captures artist's intention, it is the most accessible means for capturing ideas. I am convinced that you can open entire worlds and achieve documentary effect through sketch. It would seem that nothing could be simpler: there is a sheet and nature. But what appears on the sheet, what objectives you shall set yourself is always an open issue. Drawing is academic discipline, but I see it much broader. Don’t just make rubbings, you need to think. This is the field of your reflections, experimentations. Many students are already serious artists, but they draw "bad" academically and that pleases me very much.

 

Aside from aesthetic function, each work bears a meaning and is intended to establish contact with viewer. Tell us about the concepts of your 2015 work "Chances"?

 

"Chances" were made at "Biruchiy" symposium of contemporary art. I would like to say a few words about the format of this event: the artists come to seaside to work, and to show their project to the public at the end of symposium. Many artists create installations, art-objects there, just to capture their thoughts. As for the "Chances", someone has made concrete piles for the house, near our dining room. They struck me as very artistic. We had to level the ground, so there would be just cubes, and to paint them as if someone had rolled a dice. The work is about non-random coincidences in our life. About the choice that we make all the time, "rolling the dice". Usually there are only two dices, but my work has got about 60 of them.

 

How often in this symposium format do you work with materials at hand that are already on the island?

 

For example, in the previous event, I was interested in a wooden frame of a house at the sea whose owner was absent at that time. After talking with local fishermen, I learned that the fish in the Sea of ​​Azov was almost all gone because of overfishing. That frame has called associations with fishing nets in me. I attached yellow buoys on top of the house and named this "Seine", thereby fixing the idea ​​relevant to last year's symposium. The result is an eco-work. Of course, anything can be a material for sculptor. I’m not limited by clay, stone, or plastic.

 

What are your works generally about?

 

They deal with important for me themes, part of which lies in the plane of reflecting on yourself. Many works are quite personal. For example, "Rain", which stands on Peizazhna Alley. Or a series of "Counterforms, in which I research shape, fix space around the image, try to get to the root causes of this form existence, like an archaeologist.

 

Sculpture has long been used to adorn the temples, churches. It poses a deep sacral potential by itself.

 

Personally for me — no. I take it easier. Topics that one can find in my work may tend to metaphysics, but sculpture by itself a is not like that in our culture. It has never been introduced into religious aesthetics as it was done in Western Christianity. Due to the fact that our past was pagan and a complete re-formatting was needed, icons are now used in churches instead of sculpture.

 

What elements of styles are characteristic of your work? I think there are a partial citation, rethinking of traditional and converting it into something completely new.

 

I would not separate the elements, because everything is used depending on the design that I want to implement. I do combine styles at the level of form, but the main thing for me is a search for succinct statement.

 

Tell us about the process of creating a sculpture. How do you build a form, develop a silhouette, texture, color? How much time is spent on the creation of one work?

 

The process is pretty slow. The most difficult part is to come up with idea and make a sketch. Sometimes I sculpt one work and switch to another, when you start there is no guarantee that you will finish, even if you liked the sketch. On average, the sculpture can take from three to six months, it is a long and laborious process. For example, before a sculpture can be cast in bronze, you need to sculpt a model; make a mould from it, process it because there are cracks; take it to casting shop where they will make a wax mould; process the wax; cut it and send it to bronze casting. Then you need to assemble and weld bronze pieces; treat the seams; tone it. And only after that the work can be considered complete.

 

Many western sculptors believe that their work is only to make sketches. The logic is that if you spend your time on technical aspects without creativity, a sculptor becomes a foreman. Do you agree?

 

There is such opinion. It depending on works in question. If this is an architectural form with a set of repetitive elements, then what's the point wasting time on it?! The artist will just get exhausted. I have assistants who convert my work into plastic and bronze, smooth out the seams, but when it comes to things where you have to sculpt a shape, I always do it myself. When only technical part remains, it is better to give it to the right hands. I have to use workers. Otherwise, I will be doing one work for years.

 

 

Your sculptures were sold at such auctions as Phillips, Sotheby's. How is the price for your works formed?

 

There are experts in the auction houses. First of all an expert from the auction house has visited my studio. She studied the works, analyzed their artistic value. In this case, I have had no effect on prices formation. But the prices of previous sales were taken into account. Auction is the only way to fix the value of a work of art in the world.

 

You are preparing a solo exhibition for the spring of 2016. What works will be there?

 

It will be a series of reliefs. I intend to continue my "Counterforms" series, the topic is unfinished for me. The exhibition will be in the spring in one of the capital's galleries.

 

Photo: Nazar Bilyk (works), Kirill Gaidai-Roskoshny (workshop), Vasilina Vrublevskaya (film shots)