We caught up with the brilliant and insightful ALEXANDRA SHATOKHINA a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

ALEXANDRA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I remember this moment very well. I was in my 4th year of Art University, and I had to decide which specialization I would choose. There were several directions available to me: interior design, visual design, web design and painting. I was sitting on the train somewhere between Saint Petersburg and Novosibirsk, and asking myself: what do I want to do? Which specialization will bring me the most satisfaction to my ambitions? Design could bring more money… but is that what I really want? To live a happy and beautiful life I have to be honest with myself and find only one right answer to decide who I am. After 2 days of meditation, I understood it. It would bring me more pleasure to work with physical materials rather than sit in front of a computer and to have the ability to express my imagination my way. I felt that I should be an artist. I didn’t know how at that time, but I was confident in my intuition to find out. I chose an art profession that promised many adventures.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

When I graduated from university, I began to look for my place in the contemporary art world. I researched market opportunities and matched them with my skills and abilities. I participated in various exhibitions, organized my solo shows, and marketed my work through media sources. There were publications and sales, but I wanted more. Living in Moscow at the time, I began to try to present my work to international markets: Europe, USA, Asia, and the Arab Emirates. I was studying what people buy from contemporary art. I opened my art gallery, a center for creative industries, worked as an art consultant, and organized the first satellite art fair in Russia. I believed that my dream would come true and made every effort for this. Now I work with leading brands in the art business, participate in the best exhibitions, and dream of new horizons.

My work consists of three main features: A combination of oil painting and volume to create a feeling of third dimension, decomposition of nature to the abstraction, and the hedonism of watching the art. Combining these three traits differentiates myself from my contemporary colleagues.

I am most proud that my work has international art provenance. I have had the opportunity to present my work and collaborate with international specialists and clients. I want my potential clients to know that my work not only provides hedonistic pleasure, but can also appraise for higher values due to my international exposure.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

One of the most important missing pieces in my early career were resources on how to navigate the art world. This left me to take random directions when I was younger. Now that I know how to navigate this expansive world, I find that my experiences have been completely different. My exploits have shown me that the ability to learn new things are very important to becoming an expert in my field. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of discovering the puzzle pieces but understand that having better navigation earlier would have made the process faster.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

In my career I have found that the process of creation and the ultimate results can both be very rewarding. It brings me great joy to create a piece that becomes a reflection of my reality and unique from any other artists. Equally, it is rewarding when a buyer is able to connect with my piece on an emotional level. This gives me confirmation that they accept my vision. Nothing makes me feel more accomplished then to see a piece of my art on someone else’s wall.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alexandrashatokhina.com/
• Instagram: @alexandra_shatokhina_artist
• Facebook: Alexandra Shatokhina
• Linkedin: Alexandra Shatokhina

Image Credits
Images from art show in last 4 month: Palm Beach Contemporary and Modern Art and Art Hamptons