DESTIG Interview with our Europe Artist of the Year 2018 (Painting), Glib Franko.
Read this interview in DESTIG Magazine
Read this interview in DESTIG Magazine
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DESTIG Interview
"The artist constantly travels along the edge when the master goes on an equal and safe path, I am not afraid of the risk of being unclear, therefore, I always go ahead of my artistic practice."
Tell us about yourself and background.
I was born into a family of artists, so art was close to me. I always had a lot of paper, paint and free time. The first artistic institution was an art school, but I do not remember that I liked it very much, and I did not finish it. In 2000 I entered the Kosiv Institute of Decorative Arts for the Department of Monumental Painting.
I want to note that the institute is located in a mountainous town, from which, of course, my love for travel and mountains. In 2005 I went to the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, to the Department of Painting Restoration, where I get the Master's Degree. In fact, I wanted to get into the department of painting, but I did not pass the competition, so I chose the painting restoration department, which differed a little in its program. In the end, I had the opportunity to move on to painting, but it seemed to me that it was completely inappropriate, here I saw some freedom in creative terms not biased by the professor's policy.
Tell us about your work.
I work with such rather classical artistic practices as painting and graphics, balancing the boundaries between the abstract and plot lines of contemplation of natural landscapes and everyday situations. As an expert in the conservation of paintings, I have a deep understanding of the essence of the material with which I work, and I use it's possibilities in it's works. I strive for the expressiveness and self-sufficiency of form and color, in turn leaving it possible for the viewer's interpretation.
I often experiment and observe the process, introducing in my painting elements of the drawing, graphics or even prints. I'm experimenting with the basics and material, combining various techniques, or just spreading the paint.
What makes your work and approach unique?
The fact that I do it! )) In art, I always try to follow my own vision, my interests and passion, even if they are temporary. I studied at the academy methods and tools that help in creative expression. And of course, I do not want to limit myself to any one genre / style for the sake of deceptive recognizability. Finding a good approach, or creating a successful piece of work, of course, I want to work on it again, to develop the theme. However, I do not want to dwell on this stage, but I want to go on, experiment, and find new ways of creative expression.
What are your sources of inspiration?
The process, the creative process, is the greatest source of inspiration, the driving force behind which you wake up in the morning. This is a kind of magic action, a kind of meditation to which you definitely want to come back again and again. Usually it is in the process of creativity that new ideas and methods of solving certain tasks, ideas come. I also want to say about travels, trips, walks. Direct communication with nature is precisely the infinite source of energy that does not cease to inspire us, to give new insults, ideas, forms of expression.
Why is your work a good investment?
In my opinion, investing in art is always a good investment. Especially when you invest in art not as a commodity, but as a living thing, in harmony with your inner world. Finally what differs between a work of art and the masterful work? The artist constantly travels along the edge when the master goes on an equal and safe path, I am not afraid of the risk of being unclear, therefore, I always go ahead of my artistic practice.
Tell us about some of your achievements.
I do not even know how to answer, there were a lot of achievements, and they were all main to me, because they were a definite summing up of the traversed path. These are exhibitions, competitions, honors, grants, sales. For example, the victory in the "New Ukrainian Landscape" contest and the sale of all six of my works at the competitive exhibition was a huge boost in the beginning of my creative career. Immediately after graduation, I won a competition for a teacher at the Academy of Arts. In 2014, I got to the Polish Minister of Culture's "Gaude Polonia" program, it was a turning point for me, because in addition to art, I was engaged in restoration and teaching activities, which did not correspond to my internal interests. A few works have been purchased by the Polish Museum of the People's Movement in their collection, and a large number of my works are in private collections in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Italy, Holland, Denmark, Vietnam, England and the United States.
What you are passionate about?
In fact, I am interested in the world in which we live and how we interact with it. Interested in the processes taking place at the energy level, and the cause of the consequential connection. As I already said, I adore traveling, I like to go to the mountains, especially on one. Of course traveling with family or friends on your enthusiastic, it's always a new bright impression, and in traveling alone there is something special, it's another kind of meditation, a way of knowing for yourself.
Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.
To date, I have implemented a number of projects, among which I want to distinguish three of the largest, showing which took place in different cities of Ukraine. Each project includes a series of works, combined with one theme. My first big series was the project - "Park Fragments" which was devoted to the energy of space, it was a series of landscapes, where I portray not so much visible and really existing objects, but the interaction of space with them. He was introduced to the OntoArtGallery in Kyiv. The prints from this series, in collaboration with ArtLink, were used to decorate a cruise ship. . Another interesting project for me was a series of works "Blossom" on which I worked for almost three years, it was a kind of picturesque study of the natural process of blossoming, where the central characters are the plants giving the property of flowering. The show of this series has already taken place in Khmelnitsky Art Museum. I was so enthralled with this topic, which partly continued it in the project "Botanicum", which focuses on the emotional background more than the plants themselves, rather it is the visualization of the inner world in the form of portrait images of plants. This project was presented in the art gallery "Арт на Мур" in Ivano-Frankivsk.
Share with us your upcoming projects.
It is planned to participate in ArtLink exhibition projects, and already in two weeks in the gallery "Promprylad renovation"- "Assortment room" an exhibition of my project "Antipodes, balance, walk on the golden line" this project is a self-exploring, It was started during one of the trips on Carpathians mountains (where I really like to go with my wife and daughter), after which, during each subsequent trip, I took with me materials for the continuation. Each project work is my abstract vision of a particular location. I use geographic coordinates for titles to indicate the places where the work was created or started. I experiment with the material, observe the process, in the process I can apply several layers of paint, fold, unfold, tear. I love when interferes with the environment (rain, wind).
This is a draft of the balance of opposites and values, a certain "golden" way. Considering the possibility of posting works from this series in the public space of a modern hotel in Colorado. modern hotel property in Colorado.
Tell us about where you are based.
I live and work in Ukraine in Khmelnitsky. This is a rather interesting city with a large number of art objects that have gained world recognition. It's a pity that the city does not notice them, but it is a reality of Ukrainian attitude to art. In the end, it is a young developing city with almost 600 years of history, and with incredibly beautiful surroundings
Website: saatchiart.com/GlibFranko