18 Questions With...
Izabella Volovnik

Paradoxes of human behavior in times of crisis and unspeakable atrocities. My constant inspiration lies in many fields and places, however - aesthetically I'm especially interested in subcultures, such as heavy-metal music, online iconography, as well as post-internet culture (in dialogue with Internet’s aesthetics and sub-cultures) and aesthetic tropes from horror films. I'm trying to pinpoint in my observation aesthetics that are considered "trashy" or bordering "trashiness".

In addition to that, I took special interest in monsters in the past two years. In my new series of work (that will be exhibited in an upcoming solo show) I aspire to unlock different layers, aspects and functions of the "monster" - as an image, symbol and a term.

Painting all day while listening to cool music I'm freshly addicted to.

That's a good question. Generally, I was a curious and slightly weird kid (in some ways I still am). Avid animal lover, especially horses and dogs, mostly a good student, 'in her own world' type of kid. I loved Steve Irwin, Terminator 1 and 2 (especially 2), Lord of the Rings (1, 2, 3).

I was born in Jerusalem after my family immigrated to Israel from the (former) USSR.

Luckily, my mother noticed my passion for painting at a very young age. I was four years old when she first took me to painting classes with a soviet teacher who gradually taught me the basics of painting and drawing focusing on a variety of classical techniques. Along with painting I had other classes such as Math, Ballet and Russian - however painting was my favorite activity.

At home we had a substantial collection of CDs and art books. As a child I would often go through the books and occasionally bump into dark or grotesque artworks - I couldn’t take my eyes off them. One of those artworks was Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) by Salvador Dalí, the way the hand is grabbing the breast shocked me. I remember that I felt like I was seeing something beautiful and weird that I wasn’t supposed to see. That feeling captivated me as I dreamed of painting such mysterious and disturbing images myself.

I explore demonization and dehumanization as covert empowerment or alternative positions of power while posing questions about definitions of humanity, hierarchy, power relations, sexuality, and violent desires—in society, culture, and the soul.

Williamsburg oil ground, and tobacco.

Smoking.

Black coffee at day and margaritas on occasion. Water is an all-time favorite though.

Yes, definitely. On the contemporary end - Aleksandra Waliszewska is a huge inspiration for me while on the timeless side I'll go with Paula Rego, Balthus and Goya.

I don't know if it's a dream project but I'd love to get into ceramics at some point and challenge myself with making monumental paintings.

Charcoal.

That's a long list, I absolutely love music and as long as I'm painting something's blasting from the speakers. The Cure, Pulp, Cradle of Filth, Placebo, Shannon and the Clams, Lebanon Hanover, Easter, Elton John, A-ha, Faith No More, Pink Turns Blue, Fontaines D.C, Traitrs, Soft Blade, USHKO, The Smiths, My Chemical Romance, Minuit Machine, The Knife, Blonde Redhead - would be the usual repertoir.

I'm afraid of legal implications by answering this question.

Face proportions, body language and their voice (altogether at once).

Painting itself and the urge to paint, same goes for drawing of course. It's an elusive feeling, like an itch or an addiction of some sort. I am constantly posing riddles to myself through my work and then spend days untangling the mysterious mess I've made. In general, my motivation comes from a core notion that I just have to, I can't withhold myself from doing it. Of course, seeing the way people interact with my work once it's exhibited has a great impact on my motivation but it's secondary to what I've described above.

I think there were several points in which my seriousness as an artist grew. Although I've been drawing and painting since I can remember myself and studied from a young age, I believe that these points of change were at the ages of 15, 20 and 24. At 15 I started seriously studying in art school and found myself immersed in new techniques and intensive learning. However, I did have some second thoughts on how I'd make a living off of it, so I thought maybe I'd do graphic design as a day job and be an artist in my free time. When I was 20, I understood I'm going all in with what I've got (during my B.Ed.F.A studies). Finally, at 24 - I'd met the love of my life, Zamir Shatz (who happens to be a fantastic artist) and by watching him work and navigate in the world I understood I can go in even further with painting. Around that time, I started to work as an art teacher and I've been teaching figurative drawing ever since, a practice that's helping me improve myself as an artist as well as a human being.

My works engage with representations of femininity and female sexuality entwined with those of the animal kingdom in various cultures and languages. Through them, I aspire to mark the possibility of picking at scabs and embracing inner demons while engaging in a dialogue with artists (such as Paula Rego, Aleksandra Waliszewska, Balthus) and with patterns and notions of diverse disciplines - ancient and contemporary alike.

It really depends if the surprise is positive or not.. when a surprise is negative or painful it's more of an accident. I like when my own paintings surprise me (happens quite often) and sometimes I enjoy surprise visits from friends and people I love.

The importance of sleep and personal boundaries.