Discover the work of Venera Kazarova

Words: Margherita Pincioni / margherita_pincioni

Creator of separate worlds and realities full of atmosphere, Venera Kazarova / venera_kazarova is an experimental designer who is inspired by dreams and myths. For her, “the world is inexplicable and incomprehensible. One can only talk about it in the language of the absurd, and it is this absurdity as an idea that I transform in my work.”

You were born as a stylist for the theater, when did you start making masks? And what prompted you to make the first one?

I was born as a fashion designer first of all & making mask is a kind of continuation of the costume. I create an entire image when making a mask, I design a costume and the appearance of the person who wears it.

You said that you love the works of Marcel Duchamp and René Magritte, so you are inspired by a surreal world, what is absurd for you in our society?

Life itself seems quite absurd to me, the world around me, the way it works. People try their best to be serious, but we're all freaks in a way. And the most important thing is that good does not overcome evil, there is no justice, there are no laws by which the universe operates, in my opinion. People invent them to explain the world. But the world is inexplicable and incomprehensible, at least to me. One can only talk about it in the language of the absurd, and it is this absurdity as an idea that I transform in my work.

Duchamp in particular made art with everything, do you also have the same freedom in the use of materials?

Yes I do and most of all I like combining, especially practical materials with impractical ones, such as sewing paper to fabric for example.

To make them you often use food, in this case they become ephemeral works that have a limited duration, what happens next?

Nothing happens next, many of my works live one day, I create them just for a beautiful picture.

Where does your creation process come from? Are you inspired by reality or the fantasy of fairy tales?

A lot of ideas come to me from dreams, most of my work I saw in a dream. Sometimes I work with stories of myths, although I think I will soon create some of my own mythology.

Before making a mask, do you design it in advance or is it a spontaneous work of intuition?

I make sketches first but most of the time it's an intuitive process.

What do you want to communicate with your creations?

I don't think about communicating anything, it's just my attitude expressed in this form. of course, this is a message in itself, but I do not analyze what exactly it means.

Who wears your works? Ordinary people or famous people?

Nobody. I create clothes for anything but everyday life. My work has no applied purpose, it is art.

Due to their conformation, the masks are the negation of the face, consequently the dissimulation of one's own history, do you agree?

I agree, it gives you anonymity. a mask is like an avatar on a social network. it is completely unknown who is behind it. you can replace your identity and reinvent yourself.

What kind of relationship do you have with your masks? Collections or do you willingly sell them to your audience?

I can sell.

On Instagram you wrote that “you create worlds”, can you tell us about this?

For me, each costume is a world, it is a separate reality. This is the state, the atmosphere. It seems to have its own inner content, although you can say that it's just a dress. But for me, this is a song, a book, a picture, this is the world. I don't know what else to say.

To share your works, do you only use Instragram or do you have other methods? Especially now, with the difficulty of being able to organize live events and performances.

I only use Instagram & Facebook for the moment.

What's your next project? Can you tell us something?

I am currently working on a paper installation for an exhibition at the Gogol's house. It should open on January 20.