In Conversation with Art Curator Farah Pirieva

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS

N.01 - SEPTEMBER N.07 MAY 2016 2015 ENGLISH EDITION

CURATING THE IMPOSSIBLE DIANE PERNET

FARAH PIRIEVA

A SHADED VIEW

30ART

TIPS FOR YOUNG DESIGNERS and

PSYCHOANALYSIS

HOW TO The

of THE SECRET SUBLIMINAL FASHION

chaos WIN of creation

A PLACE of

walking in art rhythm NOIR CATCHER EDITIONS

BEAUTY

‘Art is a phenomenon that shows us the way to this secret subliminal world of irrationality with no borders or landmarks, a place only of beauty...

It was the last time I tried to define art...’ Farah Pirieva

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IN CONVERSATION

Courtesy of Farah Pirieva

www.walking-in-art-rhythm.com

Farah Pirieva

is an art consultant, curator, blogger, collector and dreamer. She captured our attention not only with her aesthetic eye and knowledge of art, but with her positive aura and genuine inner cosmos. Farah’s career path started in Sotheby’s Auction House, and continued along various established galleries as Alon Zakaim Fine Art in Mayfair, London. She has participated in the organization of the I Buta Festival of Art in 2010 and has been appointed as the art curator of the II Buta Festival of Art in London, looking after the visual content of the festival. Insights of her work and inspirations can be found in her fascinating blog about art and psychoanalysis, Walking in Art Rhythm.

We had the pleasure to meet Farah Pirieva in a cozy radical chic coffee bar next to the Academia di Belle Arti di Brera in the city of Milan and discover more about her passions and animus.

This interview is devoted to all art lovers and people curating their destiny following their intuition.

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“JAVAD” An exhibition of works by Javad Mirjavadov curated by Farah Pirieva Sotheby’s London.

open for the visitors. My brother in his spare time promotes Azeri art worldwide, produces festival movies, sets up international art festivals, jazz and classical concerts. I was I guess Carl Jung’s “Nothing worse could happen to one raised surrounded by such artistic vibes, and later took it to than to be completely understood”. I find it sad when you a more professional level, guess it was inevitable. look at the artwork on a wall and it tells you everything…

It shouldn’t. When I first launched my blog 5 years ago, I defined art as a phenomenon that shows us the way to this What is your definition for Beauty? secret subliminal world of irrationality with no boarders or landmarks, a place only of beauty. It was the last time when I tried to define art.

Distortion, instability, imperfection, the feeling that “something went wrong” is what makes me want to stop, analyse, ask questions and eventually fall in love.

What is Art for you?

“Distortion, instability, imperfection, the feeling that something went wrong...”

Could you describe your process of curating your exhibitions?

When and how did you decide to follow your passion of Art?

It’s very Biblical. “In the beginning was the world”. (smiling) Seriously speaking, it is a team work and a long process, which has a creative side that would include building up a concept, developing it with the artist (or his family/ foundation), taking it further to the production, choosing a space - an essential part of the process, and finally writing it all down in a catalogue, which has sadly become quite insignificant nowadays; as well as a technical and practical side, which would cover logistics, shipping, insurance, installation.

My parents have always been passionate art collectors. My father is a businessman, but his friends - talented composers, writers, curators would constantly gather in our house loudly discussing this and that exhibition. My mother always made sure to keep the collection dynamic and our house 5

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Which contemporary artists would you “I think one should never stop exploring, delving into mankind, into mys- like to bring together in an exhibition? tery of subconscious, spirituality.”

I would like to work with Latin American artists that are clearly and vastly underrated in Europe. They have huge potential and talent. I would love to discover their world.

What is the ideal exhibition for you?

How important is to nurture a goo personal relationship with the artist you work with?

I love Dostoyevsky’s “Man is a mystery. I occupy myself with this mystery, because I want to be a man.” I think one should never stop exploring, delving into mankind, into mystery of subconscious, spirituality. The ideal exhibition for me is not just a white cube with some well-established names or a warehouse with a selection of emerging artists, it’s not even a contrast that you can create in a space playing with time, for instance, bringing together Old Masters in an ultra-modern space or the opposite, but the one that explores, gives suggestions, states an opinion meanwhile leaving the viewer with a complete freedom of thought.

There must be a strong connection between the two, otherwise the show will have no soul. Just like in anything, if you work as a machine, you will produce an average, tasteless product.

What were your first and last exhibiWhat is the most fascinating exhibition tions?

Both were curated within the Buta Festival of Art in Lonyou have ever seen?

don. The “Unseen Salakhov” in Sotheby’s, displaying the works of Tair Salakhov - a great Soviet artist from Azerbaijan, was the first one taking place in 2010. The last one was in Royal Academy of Art in 2015, a very conceptual show, dedicated to a new form of art – the art of scent.

Perhaps, I will never forget Anish Kapoor’s solo show in Royal Academy of Art in 2009. The installation was called in Sanskrit - Svayambh, a heavy train made of a soft deep red wax, slowly moving back and forth, squeezing through the arches of the corridors, reminding the Bloody Gates of Hell, that red was accumulating and silently growing in the galleries of the academy ; it was disturbing in a way, but really fascinating.

Who is your favourite artist and why?

Egon Shiele, the greatest draftsman of the entire 20th century. His body of work is very existential and grotesque, I love it because it is very personal, autobiographical, he uses canvas as a mirror, that reflects his deeper psychological realities, childhood traumas, and how he overcomes them with time, showing the evolution of not only his artistic skills but also his mental state.

And Jusepe de Ribera, a 17th century Spanish artist, who lived in Italy and was known as Lo Spagnoletto (the little Spaniard). His work is simply beautiful.

What about an emerging artist you have recently discovered?

My favourite is Oscar Murillo – the Colombian Basquiat of nowadays. I have discovered him few years ago and it is impressive how popular he has become since then. This is what auctions do to young and talented artists- they make Farah Pirieva at Farkhad Khailov’s Exhibition in Saatchi Gallery. them overnight superstars. Don’t ask me if it’s a good thing. March 2015 London, United Kingdom NOIR CATCHER MAY 2016

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What are the moments that leave you What advice would you give to a young breathless through your curatorial curator or any art lover following your work? footsteps?

When it is just an idea in the beginning, it lives in your head like a little chaos or your own private cosmos, and then suddenly you find yourself standing there at the opening of your show, see people loving it or hating it, it doesn’t mat-

I wouldn’t call it an advice, but just some easy rules that might be helpful. First - study art, then visit as many exhibitions and art fairs as possible, write articles and art reviews for publications, run your own blog or a column in a newspaper, discover new artists, build up relationship with collectors and try yourself in every possible aspect of this vast field, galleries, auctions, foundations, fairs and festivals, as you might totally dislike some and enjoy the others.

ter...you are just standing there...and it’s all for real.

Which is your favourite art venue?

How do you stay informed on new artistic expressions, events, upcoming What are the art fairs and venues you artists? would recommend us to visit?

Tate Modern.

Well if you are new to this field, then you start with Tefaf in Maastricht, Venice Biennale, Art Basel, FIAC, and Frieze.

For those who know what to expect from these events, and want to see the less commercialised world of art, then your destination is Havana and Florence Biennale, as well as just travelling the world, visiting all possible local galleries, contemporary art spaces and museums.

I get subscribed to websites of all museums and galleries I visit, to international art platforms and art blogs, such as Blouin ArtInfo, ArtNet, ArtNews, ArtNewspaper and so on.

I love Russian art magazines; it is the only thing I always ask from my friends to bring me from Moscow.

Green, 2016.

Mixed media on board, 160 x 129 cm Private collection 7

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You paint in your free time. How would What is your daily routine? you define your style? What do you get I would suffer if I had a routine, simply because it would get destroyed every single time. I travel a lot; I am never fixed inspired from?

to one place and I am very spontaneous. One thing I do consistently, wherever I am, is yoga and pilates, it’s like my morning coffee that keeps me awake and open to the chaos I choose to live in. Also I religiously follow the words that belong to my favourite Spanish psychiatrists Félix MartíIbáñez, “There is only one way to defeat death—to live fast”. I do live fast, always on the go, that is for sure.

I get inspired from people, mostly from those I get attached to or spend time with. I like to observe their manners, expressions, personality. My subjects are never figurative though; they represent people but never their actual bodies.

I can’t tolerate visible figuration on my canvases, and I can’t accept the flat surfaces either, maybe in a way it recalls people I paint, they are never flat  I don’t sell my works, and don’t call myself an artist, but if you want to characterize What are your future dreams and amit stylistically, it could be a contemporary interpretation of a colour field abstract expressionism or its European “sis- bitions? ter” Art Informel, but I would prefer defining it using Marcel Duchamp’s expression “It’s just my own game, nothing I never plan ahead of time; you really never know where else”. life will take you. But let’s say expanding my own art collection, establishing a permanent art space to promote and What is the importance of an educa- support emerging artists, as well as building up my own family at some point are on my agenda for the near future.

tion in Art?

________________________________ Interview by Elizabeth Zhivkova ________________________________

You cannot call yourself a specialist if you only did a short art course or “how to be an art curator” evening class. It is not enough. I think studying art history is crucial, knowing Old Masters will show you the way to understand contemporary art. It’s like, for instance, in order to understand jazz, you have to know classical music, you must learn the essence of Bach to appreciate modern improvisations.

What is your greatest passion in life after art?

Psychology. I am fascinated by the studies of Jung and Freud, by how our mind works, and actions emerge.

What is your favourite book and author?

I would say the “The unbearable lightness of being” by Milan Kundera and “Plakha” by Chingiz Aitmatov. I love reading... Nabokov, Chekhov, Sartre. Totally admire Camus and Kafka – the gods of existentialism in literature.

Tell us something special we don’t know about you.

I have always wished to dance on the stage of Sadler’s Wells, or any other British theatre. (smiling) Maybe in another life...

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Farah Pirieva Illustrated by Katarzyna Jagielnicka for Noir Catcher

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