Arsenij Vlasov

A talent is a cross to bear with the back proudly straightened. One may long for selling oil, let’s say being involved into real estate deals, all this market stuff. But the real artist knows what is destined above. If you happen to be gifted, and you bastard do not apply it and just stay at home and drink beer, you’ll finish very soon, maybe in a car accident. ..

I was 5 when I first experienced an art fever. It was since then that I’ve been searching for any ways for my talent to be actualized.

I feel extremely unhappy and dull if I happen not to have created something beautiful for some period of time. I mean I’ve got the content inside which is meant to be personified into an art sequel.

Less mess demanded — that is how I can identify the contemporary art trend. We got artists striving for expressing themselves. That’s enough to raise money out of nothing!

What art-house and underground lack is proper PR.

I have never raised myself to the rank of a Maharishi or Teacher. I’ve been always aiming at communicating with the audience via my works.

Art commercialization is a natural process. Otherwise a piece of art won’t worth a pin! Art won’t be valued then.

I do not want to become a victim of circumstances, should it even make me popular after I die. I mean I am not going to follow Jean-Michel Basquiat who was involved into street art and lived on top for some few years, died of heroin and cocaine intoxication. But the fact is that his works cost million dollars today.

When a person orders a portrait, he expects the artist to express on the canvas some kind of an ideal. That leads to the trend when artist’s work gives way to a stylist’s one, which turns it all to a piece of fucking business. Still, if the money you get from this fucking business helps you to move the real art-projects of yours, you’d better self you principles for a while.

It’s no use beating your head against the wall trying to develop somebody’s taste. You’d better know how to make money on commercial art which has nothing to leave in the history. That will give you the opportunity to invest into non-commercial aspects of art, which will sure get their place in the records.

If I hadn’t been addicted to art, I would have been an ordinary man, meaning nobody.