Today we’d like to introduce you to Viktoriya.

Hi Viktoriya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

As a child I was moved by nature and found magic among ordinary things. I liked to draw, paint. and write poetry. I dreamed of being an artist but to me it seemed like an impossible dream similar to a dream of becoming a mermaid or flying to other galaxies. But I decided to pursue my dream in my early twenties stepping over all of the fears that I had.

For a year I trained for entrance exams to the Moscow State Art Institute, one of the most prestigious in the country. Overall, I studied for seven years, spending more than ten hours per day refining my technical skills in painting and drawing and taking any side jobs that I could land. Every summer I would go to Vienna and Copenhagen main square and drew portraits of tourists on the street for the duration of my summer break. I worked ten hours per day, seven days per week, saving all the money in order to support my studies and living expenses through the school year. Aside from earning a living, the portrait drawing helped me refine the skills of capturing portrait likeness.

Once I graduated, I worked on and exhibited my own body of work as well as created murals and mosaics in private residencies for a living. I also volunteered at a charitable organization that rehabilitated orphanage children through art. There I was first introduced to community involved public art and fell in love with the concept. Once I moved to Brooklyn in 2017 I got a job leading mural projects with at-risk youth. Since then I created community public art murals and mosaics with diverse populations such as corporate stakeholders, museum boards, court-involved and vulnerable youth, residents of a domestic violence shelter, high school students, hospital staff and patients, and residents of a remote indigenous village. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with diverse audience while building community and art appreciation. My public artwork can be found in Russia, Mexico, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx.

After moving to New York I also further developed my artist practice, exhibited and sold my artwork, I created commissioned portraits of many wonderful people and created artwork for TV and Film (shows such as Law and Order, Ramy, Armani, Gucci, Nickelodeon commercials and many other productions).

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

The road has not been smooth. I always had to worry about earning enough money to support my endeavors, my education, cost of living, etc. Later, when I became a single mother my financial responsibility grew. But I always made art making and developing my own body of work number one priority. My artwork is very laborious and takes a lot of time to craft.

In order to get public art projects, residencies, and grants I spent a lot of time writing applications and submitting my work. I get about 95% rejection rate for everything that I apply for. But I am still grateful for the 5%. I am grateful to all the collectors and supporters of my work. I keep moving and working, and while my life is not easy, it is definitely fulfilling.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I create work in a few different styles and directions. If I had to describe a common theme, it would be expression of ideas of compassion, humanity, and humanism. I explore the relationship between the individual and the collective, through confrontations found in society, origin, mythology, and metaphysics.

I developed a very special body of mixed media artwork where I combine oil painting, mosaics, kiln fired vitreous enamel and glass with other mediums such as gold leaf, plaster and fiber. My work provokes questions of sanctity, violence, and destruction that afflict our contemporary condition. While at first seeming whimsical and attractive, my compositions allude to warfare, militarism, and consumption. What is currently idolized and glorified actually leads to incessant violence and intolerance. A people and culture obsessed with symbols of wealth, weapons, and entrenched gender roles.

My other artistic direction is community involved public art. I believe that art does not only beautify neighborhoods but unifies residents promoting interaction in public spaces. Engaging locals and youth in creation of public art gives voice, inspiration, and a sense of pride to communities, empowering them to develop a sense of ownership over space. I research the local history and culture and engage with local communities in order to develop a design that focuses on positive aspects of the community, honors and reflects its heritage,
uniqueness, and aspirations. Celebration of life and humanism is a common thread in my public art work.

I also enjoy painting portraits from live models and paint plein air landscapes, while wandering city streets and nature places with my easel in hand.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?

Since I use a kiln to create vitreous enamel and glass for my mixed media work I launched a wearable art jewelry line. My jewelry is only one-of-a-kind, handmade, and fired in a kiln at 1500 degrees multiple times. I usually sell the jewelry at my art shows, events, and by private appointment

Pricing:

• Murals starting $50 per square foot
• Kiln-fired wearable art earrings, rings, and pendants starting $85
• Prints of original artwork starting $50
• Portrait Commissions starting $1200

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.basina.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basinart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viktoriya.basina
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/art.jewelry.enamel

Image Credits

Vera Varley Photography