Contemporary artist Vera Iliatova feels artists never age and exude the teen spirit because of their constant curiosity, which she playfully describes as an “occupational hazard”.
In the studio, the painting starts as an abstract field of colour and, often, I have no idea what it will turn into. I proceed to paint something in front of me – a view from my window, a flower in a vase – then add some figures, repaint the whole thing, and then turn the canvas upside down. Eventually, a narrative emerges that feels interesting to investigate further.
How did your tryst with art begin?
I grew up in a family of scientists and doctors, and although I was always exposed to art and culture throughout my childhood, I never felt like I had any particular artistic abilities, let alone the option of making painting my life-long pursuit. When we immigrated to the US and I found myself an outsider in my new American high school, the only class that didn’t present a language barrier was an art class. I remember drawing some portraits that surprised my classmates who otherwise treated me with patronising indifference. I continued to draw on my own but it was only when I went to university and took a real drawing class, I realised that being an artist could be a possibility.
What is the primary role of an artist? How do you describe yourself in the context of challenging people’s perspectives via your work and art?
I recently came across this quote by Jed Perl from his book Antoine’s Alphabet: Watteau and His world: “Art is the necessity of the unnecessary, daydream reshaped through the imperatives of the painter’s rectangle of canvas. And the power of certain great paintings, no matter how much self-conscious craft the artist brings to the work, is the quality of a daydream, an orchestration of elements whose meaning remains ambiguous or contradictory.” I thought it was a beautiful way to explain the power of a great painting.
Let’s talk about the evolution of your practice over the years. Tell us about your commitment to your current medium.
Painting is challenging and always makes me strive for more. I also draw, make prints and clay sculptures. I love film and I have some experience working on film projects which was magical. But to be a filmmaker you have to work with other people, and I love the solitude of painting in the studio.
What inspires you? Take us through your process and continuous frameworks of reference.
I have books of favourite artists lying open on the floor and I also have a very extensive archive of stills from films, television shows, fashion plates and personal photographs. I also read a lot, both fiction and art and film history. I go to museums and watch a lot of movies. In the studio, the painting starts as an abstract field of colour and, often, I have no idea what it will turn into. I proceed to paint something in front of me – a view from my window, a flower in a vase – then add some figures, repaint the whole thing, and then turn the canvas upside down. Eventually, a narrative emerges that feels interesting to investigate further and that’s when I start locking the painting into place. I usually work on several paintings at once and spend almost as much time looking at them as painting them.
Let’s talk about your career, or if you prefer artistic journey. What were your biggest lessons and hurdles? Which is the most memorable moment?
The most memorable moment was when my drawing teacher at Brandeis University, Massachusetts, took me aside and suggested that I major in art. I loved drawing but it was a shock to me that I could be an artist. Acceptance to the MFA programme at the Yale School of Art in 1999 was another astonishing endorsement. My two years of graduate study exposed me to the current of critical dialogue that helped cement my visual vocabulary. And, of course, having my first solo show in New York City with Monya Rowe Gallery in 2007 was a dream come true.
It is by far not an easy thing. I feel like I am always working on something: painting, teaching, family… My life is very structured and every minute is accounted for. I miss having time to wander around the city or go to the movies alone, and I cherish it whenever I have a chance to. But I am also very lucky that I can be an artist in our day and age.
How do you deal with the conceptual difficulty and uncertainty of creating work?
I always strive to continue to educate myself. I look at many different types of work on view at the museums and galleries here in New York and wherever I visit. And I read. Teaching is very important in this regard, as I think through many issues in my discussions with the students
How does your audience interact and react to your work?
I have little control of how the audience responds to the work once the paintings are on view. People who like my work usually find it unsettling and I am grateful for that interpretation. I love when students come to my studio because they are the younger generation and their reaction is very important to me.
What are you looking for when you look at other artists’ work? Who are your maestros? Whose journey would you want to read about?
I look for work that gives me a jolt of excitement and hope that art is necessary, work that I don’t need to justify as being “good”. As far as my daily inspirations, my husband Craig Taylor is an amazing painter. His paintings are very different from mine and they keep me on my toes in the studio. Dana Frankfort and Jackie Gendel are both incredible painters whom I am lucky to call my friends. Susan Ziegler is another painter whose eye I trust unconditionally. I often send her pictures of my paintings in progress asking for a critique. These four people are on speed dial in my phone, if there is still such a thing. I absolutely love work by Ellen Berkenblit: it is abstract, complicated, intense but also vulnerable and humorous.
You have spent time amongst artists in flow. What have you observed?
Artists don’t age! I think it’s their constant curiosity and hope for the unknown that keeps them in that ever-teenage spirit. My artist friend Robin Hill called this phenomenon “an occupational hazard”.
How does your interaction with a curator, gallery or client evolve? How do you feel about commissions?
I was very lucky to start working with Monya Rowe Gallery because she has an amazing eye for painting. She is smart and straightforward with her opinions, and she is incredibly supportive and honest. She saw my work in a group show at Artists Space, NY in 2007 and requested a studio visit. I will have my seventh show with her this February. I admire Monya for never compromising her integrity. Working with her is a collaboration. Recently, I started working with Nancy Littlejohn Gallery in Houston. Nancy is another woman that I admire for her amazing work ethic and her support of artists. She has a great gallery team.
What are you working on now? What’s coming next season?
My solo show Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible will be on view at Monya Rowe Gallery from February 20 to March 28. I am also planning a solo show at Nancy Littlejohn Gallery in Houston in 2021.
Before you go – you might like to browse our Artist Interviews. Interviews of artists and outliers on how to be an artist. Contemporary artists on the source of their creative inspiration.
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