Interview: Wiktoria Guzelf
Luca Curci talks with Wiktoria Guzelf, the winner of ARTIST OF THE MONTH – DECEMBER 2021.

My creative art pieces are Collages exclusively created from leather. The look and feel of leather fascinates puzzles, attracts and inspires me! It is my wish to convey my feelings and emotions about some subjects, provoke reflections, astonish or surprise, and interact with other artistic techniques. I often offer artistic compositions to be admired and interact with people’s feelings and emotions. The titles of my art allow the viewer to interpret my work while stimulating their imagination. Incorporated in my work are the use of spare pieces of leather from various tanneries but primarily I use second-hand clothes which I cut, renew and give them an artistic rebirth in a three-dimensional style. My creative process comes from a strong hold on the geometrical and multifaceted interactions which allow my artwork to reach real physical and emotional depth. The grains and thickness of the materials I choose, the play of colours creatively combine to obtain balance of perfect proportions which is an important role in my creative approach to my art.

Luca Curci- What is art for you?
Wiktoria Guzelf – Art is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects. My life has always been connected to different categories of art. Art gives my life balance and harmony. I cannot live without creativity.

LC – What are you currently working on?
WG – I am currently working on a few collages for SIAC Marseille, the International Art Exhibition at Event Palace/Parc Chanot in France (11-14 March 2022). I also have a project which I plan to complete in June and am also exploring exhibition opportunities in galleries across Europe.

LC – Which is the role the artist plays in society ? And contemporary art?
WG – I believe art connects people, and provides the opportunity to relax, it occasionally shocks us, always stimulates feelings and wakes up many areas of our brains. Art transports us to another world: into the sphere of imagination. Contemporary art surprise us with a huge variety of ideas in many areas and categories. As in music: some people love classic, other jazz or rapp… Art is music for our eyes. For centuries, humans have communicated and entertained through art. Art connects moments in history and is the perfect measure of time and cultural change. Whether it’s a favorite movie, song, or painting you just can’t stop thinking about, art is a crucial part of our everyday life.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
WG – In the Spring of 2020, during our time during lockdown, I created the collage titled “Corona Imprisoned” to represent what we were all feeling at that time. I expressed my desire and hope that the virus will one day be imprisoned and science will make it disappear from the world. When I have no theme, I generally find inspiration in minimalist design and architecture. Sometimes inspiration comes just from the leather itself. It can give me a feeling of what it wants to become.. Artists that inspire me: Pierre Soulages, Piet Mondrian, Frank Stella, Josef Albers, Barnett Newman, Ellsworth Kelly.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
WG – I have developed a technique that is all my own for the creation of my artworks. Using recycled pieces of leather, I must choose, very carefully, the best pieces. What I create with these pieces they often surprises me when completed, sometimes it amazes me, and sometimes it is not at all what I expected. The creation process can take a lot of time. I create everything on my own, including building and adding a wood frame: cutting, gluing and painting everything to combine artistically with the color and texture of the leather I am working with. Even though it can be challenging and demanding, I love every step of my creative process. A great challenge is to obtain good photographs that truly represent my art since photographs are two dimensional and my artwork is textured and three dimensional. My artwork is always better appreciated when viewed in person so the visual textures and complexities can be much better understood and experienced.