What inspires you the most?
Big cities I’ve lived in; the bright lights and music. The surprise element of both. You never know who or what is around the corner.
Who is your style icon?
Kate Moss for her eclectic, original style. She is a trendsetter and I love how she often breaks fashion rules and makes them work for her.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I’m so lucky to have such talented and creative people working around me in WLAF. This year will see me collaborating with WLAF resident artists Inkie, Carleen De Sözer and Maximillian Wiedemann. I’m a big fan of their creativity and energy; Inkie for his stunning art and sensuality of his canvas’s, Carleen’s latest work is full of attitude and technique; and Max’s work is very pop art. Outside of that I’d love to work with Fatoe who is an LA-based mixed media artist.
What is your favourite album cover artwork?
Oh there are so many! I love most of Storm Thorgerson’s covers for Pink Floyd, Coldplay’s Rush of Blood to My Head is a fantastic cover too (designed by photographer Sølve Sundsbø) but my all time favourite is debut album by Velvet Underground & Nico, which was designed by Andy Warhol. The original copies of it had a banana sticker on it asking to slowly peel it then revealing a flesh-colored banana underneath!
What is your favourite material to use in your work?
I’m currently experimenting with diamond dust in screen-printing which I’m enjoying a lot.
How have your travels influenced your work?
Vegas probably influenced me more than any other place. There’s a lot of neon and shine and glow in my work. Russia has a very rich history in many varied art forms but I love the propaganda graphic art from Soviet times.
What has been your proudest creative moment?
Oh definitely the opening of WLAF. When the place first started to come together and we showed it to a few artists they thanked us for ‘bringing screen-printing to west London’. I was also incredibly proud of what we achieved on our opening night. It was unexpected and great to see that what started as a studio/workshop for myself suddenly became something bigger than I ever imagined.
Do you have any collections?
Yes, shoes and concert/festival tickets! I have so many of both.
What are your top three songs to work to?
Anything by Bowie but especially Absolute Beginners, Kasabian’s I’m on Fire and New Order’s Someone Like You.
What is your most cherished childhood film?
It’s actually a Russian animation called Nu Pogodi (I’ll Get You) which is a take off of Tom and Jerry.
What designer has most influenced your process?
John Galliano for his bigger than life style and unbelievable colours!
You work with many different mediums. Which do you prefer?
I change a lot between my programmes, which is great, as I don’t get bored. I’m more at home with Adobe’s Photoshop for stills and After Effects for motion graphics.
If you could do a portrait of anyone who would it be?
Robbie Williams! I met him recently and he blew me away with his incredible green eyes. I’ve been thinking of working on a portrait of him ever since.
What are your aspirations for this year?
Well, it looks like it’s going to be a very busy year. There’s a lot of work to be done and I’m planning some very special events and shows for WLAF which will hopefully put us on London’s art map.
