ЮГ Times. Valeri Pchelin, a sought-after sculptor from Krasnodar, speculates on pure art, economy of creativeness and his experience of participation in large international projects.
“I make my living by such big orders as, for instance, The Dogs in Krasnaya Street, or the picture loosely based on Ilya Repin’s Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire, or the high reliefs on the fountains opposite the House of Books.
“I would like to note that none of the monuments erected in Krasnodar for the past ten years was financed from the city or regional budget. Mainly, they were erected on donations of Krasnodar residents and sponsorships.”
Q.: How do you handle criticism? For it is public knowledge that your works are quite often criticized.
A.: It is absolutely OK, and it would be strange if it were otherwise. A good work has to cause arguments. Some people may like it, others not. So many people so many minds. It is a live process.
Q.: What is your attitude to the fact that images of your sculptures are replicated on lots of various souvenirs?
A.: It is a difficult issue. I know that images of my works are sold as souvenirs. Even some bank is rubber-stumping [an image of] the monument to Shurik and Lida [the protagonists of a popular Soviet comedy film] on their corporate souvenirs. Well, I am soothing myself thinking that some people are popularizing my works, and others can even make their living and feed their families by selling them. I do not care.
Q.: How is the Nord Art exhibition in the German town of Büdelsdorf organized?
A.: Nord Art is a former metallurgical plant closed in 1997. It is a German counterpart of the Krasnodar Measuring Outfit Factory, but with generous investment – and the largest exhibition of contemporary art in North Europe.
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