JULIA MOKHOVIKOVA

Social networks painter of the Fairytale Neo-Expressionism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julia Mokhovikova at work (Ph Silvia Castioni;the black & white portrait by Yaroslav Bugaev) often listens to Nicolas Jaar’s music. It’s her favourite composer. Discover more about the Ukrainian artist at www.mokhovikova.art

 

Before becoming the most popular Instagram and Facebook painter, Julia Mokhovikova (Ukrainian) graduated in architecture and was a widely traveled model. She worked for Giorgio Armani and Elie Saab among others. If you talk to her now, in her beloved town, Kiev, she will softly and modestly tell you that she feels at ease not as a model but with a brush in her hand.

Julia said for Glamour Italy that she owed her career to a little sheep printed on a t-shirt she designed and sold through Facebook. Through social networks the artist regularly sells 40% of her works and prefers it to the galleries she carefully chooses (e.g. Hermitage, Saachi). Yes, she can certainly call herself a “self made artist” but will admit that this moment it’s the turning point in her life.

Julia, has her own vision of the world, art and humanity. She named her art genre Fairytale Neo-Expressionism. She shows in her incredible works, quoting: “beauty of chaos” (multicolored paintings with food, animals and faces) and “animal nature on the rules of human society”. Her art is a true allegory of society with a deep, emotive and psychological accents – to make one fall in love with.

You exhibits your art in the biggest world galleries (Askeri Gallery, Hermitage, Saachi), international press writes about you. You are becoming better known every day in the art world. What is your concept of art?

For me these moments are gently valuable, but I’m thinking about other things. My concept of art is to show the beauty of the chaos in this world, and I work in postmodern times, possibly in meta-modern. Well, all great artists of the world such as Bosch, Michelangelo, Picasso and Malevich are famous. They were very popular persons at the time they lived and created.

You named your contemporary art „fairytale neo-expressionism,” we read in your Instagram and your official page. What are your inspirations? Did you follow some masters from the past or you are a natural talent artist with own vision?

For five years I didn’t think of giving the name to my style in art. But when you do something that doesn’t look like anything you should name it in some new way. I adore the artists: Giotto, Bosch, Michelangelo, Bacon, Bruegel, Vrubel, Munch, Picasso, Basquiat, Prince, Kapoor. I’m inspired by all of them.

 

The paintings with food elements are very interesting and at once caught my attention. Why do you use these elements on your paintings? Is it an Andy Warhol reminiscence or more classic influence?

Yes, I think it is a mix of both. I see art, I except something, it stays in me and then goes out with a new version of it. I’ve always loved Contemporary Art most of all but in the last few years I have been inspired more and more by old masters

Also the animal world is strongly present in your works. Is this because you are an animal lover or is there something more behind it?

Of course, the pure energy and beauty of the animal’s body take place in my heart. The main thing I want to do is to impose human desires on the animal’s pure instincts, the animal’s nature on top of the rule of human society. It’s more like a psychological portrait, a kind of art allegory.

You are beautiful, your paintings are beautiful. I can guess that you are full of colors and energy inside, like your paintings. How much of you is in your “creatures”?

Thank you. I cannot do what I don’t have inside.

You made a painting study called “Faces”. Do you have some particular interest in representing different people’s faces? Do you realize portraits on commission?

I’m inspired by people – by women’s beauty – and I paint portraits. People like them too and order their portraits. ‘Till today I have a half year booked only for portraits, or maybe 2 years… (smiling).

You are born in Kiev. How do you find the political situation in your country? Would you like to change it? Have you ever been interested in politics?

I am still based in Kiev, but I travel a lot. I’m very upset about what is happening in my native country. I think politics is very serious game and I don’t want to play it.

 

Which country, in your opinion, is the capital of the Contemporary Art and gives more opportunities to the young artists? In which countries did you exhibit far now? Where did you feel like home?

All countries that have a strong economy have strong artists. Look at the world greatest fairs and biennials of art. The USA, Chinese and European (especially English and German) contemporary artists have the strongest projects and greatest realizations of their ideas. The Government and patrons support artists more in these counties. It’s important when artist cannot find how to make the idea cheaper, because he/she doesn’t have budget for its realization.

You, as a young woman, did you have some difficulties at the beginning of your international art career?

It’s more about personal fairs. It is always like these. First you afraid to take the first step, first breath, and afterwards – it’s not frightening, it becomes nothing special.

A woman’s figure is a very sensual in your paintings and is omnipresent. Women, animals, food, objects… and where are men? Is they less interesting to you?

That is an interesting question about men. I’m interested in men. I don’t like pretty guys. I love ugly men like animals, like lions. My men have animal faces.

Have you ever thought of uniting your architecture and painting talent with fashion? What do you thing about fashion designing?

I respect these professions, I am inspired by it and, yes, I have been already collaborating with various designers and architects.

Your last exhibition has a strange name: “Mimicry”. What does it mean? What is about?

As Wikipedia would say: “mimicry” is a similarity of one organism, usually an animal, to another that has evolved because of the selectively resemblance favoured by the behaviour (both can respond to the same received signal). The social dependence is often dominant, which does not allow an individual to grow and develop in the way that is laid down by nature. My exhibition is about the natural evolution of the human person, about freedom and a little bit about rebellion.

Do you have some other passions, hobbies or projects they you would like to develop in the 2019?

Yes I’ve got some ideas, plans, dreams, passions. One of my dreams is to paint a music cover for my favorite contemporary musician, Nicolas Jaar.