Interview with Kallista Ivanova

Can you tell us about the moment you decided to pursue a career as an artist?

In 2015, I asked myself the question, who am I, what will I leave behind, what mark will I leave on the future generation. Having a prosperous family, two children, a successful job, at the right moment my heart pulled me into the field of art.

Before my eyes there were paintings of incredible beauty and brightness, they haunted me, I wanted to see these paintings live, I tried to find them, order, buy these works, for this I visited various exhibitions, museums and galleries, but I didn’t see anything like that, I I did not see those pictures that my eyes saw, which my imagination saw.

I have been drawing well since childhood, so I was not afraid one day to buy canvases, brushes, paints and began to create work with my own hands.

The sphere of art dragged me so much that I could not stop. This is probably not easy, I grew up in a creative family, my grandfather Khaidartsyan Myasnik Khachaturovich was a musician, he was his own musical ensemble; and great-grandfather Khaydartsyan Khachatur Nikolovich was an artist, he decorated the walls, painted portraits and created the design of Armenian carpets. When the war began, a large chest with artistic manifestations of my great-grandfather was given for one sack of potatoes so that the family would not die of hunger.

I went through the chosen path, the path of trial and error, I came up with the author's technique for creating paintings, I called this technique ARTKALLISTA.

In 2017, they put up my first solo exhibition. This exhibition was a landmark event for me personally. 

I said to myself, if people have an interest in what I create, I will continue to do this and create new works, if I see indifference on the part of the viewer, I will stop creating new works. 

I was surprised after the first solo exhibition. Not a single person who came to the exhibition left indifferent, everyone said that these were very unusual, original art works and that they were seeing this for the first time, and academic artists asked me to teach them how to create such art works, I did not expect this when professionals ask a delitant to teach their work, it was the best gift for me.

In the same year, in 2017, curators of contemporary art, having seen my work on the Internet, invited me to take part in an international art exhibition in Paris, which was held at the Louvre Museum. Thus began my career as a painter of contemporary decorative paintings.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

For me, as an artist, it is very important what the viewer feels when looking at my work, what energy he is charged with, what conclusions he draws when he looks at this or that art work that I created. I see myself as an innovator in art, an artistic revolutionary.

I love to create new artistic images, I love to give new sensations, to show the beauty of pure color and the beauty of texture on canvas. My paintings are like puzzles, it is always pleasant not only to look at them, but it is always interesting to guess them, to read them like an interesting book.

What do you want your art to convey to the people who see it? What is the meaning or creative motivation behind your work?

My mission is to show the versatility of contemporary art, in which the study of the phenomenon of femininity occupies a special place, as well as to give a sense of confidence, confidence in the future.

Kallista , as a revolutionary artist, struggles with modern morals and principles, discovering and creating new artistic images on canvas, where the main emphasis is on the creation of female symbolism and feminine abstractionism. She gives rise to the phenomenon of "NEW WOMAN" in society. Her work is a rebellion against convention; color, light and texture give rise to a sense of the mysterious, enigmatic in the midst of everyday life.

With the help of new modern materials, the author's technique and unusual motifs, she radically transforms painting, trying to change the very way of life of people and the train of thought. The artist returns power to myth, mystery and play in order to allow the viewer to enjoy the enchanting beauty of images and colors, and to understand the importance of rediscovering femininity.

In these works, one feels some kind of abstract, fabulous, somewhere surreal euphoria: highlighted faces, like a raw gold nugget; bright flower buds; sensual lips; feminine bodies and accented eyes do not leave the viewer indifferent. There comes an understanding that apparent simplicity is only the first superficial impressions, followed by a deep philosophical meaning.

Once having seen with my own eyes the works in the style of ARTKALLISTA, it is hard to erase them from memory, voluntarily or involuntarily returning thoughts to these enchanting images. With courage, sincerity and unconditional sensuality, the art of ARTKALLISTA Style wins the hearts of the audience. This is a kind of rebellion and a call: to be different from everyone else, not to be afraid of anything, to go towards your goals and bright victories, to love and enjoy life no matter what.

Today, images in the style of ARTKALLISTA are copied not only by individual artists, but also by many designers and fashion houses. For example, the image of a flower vase in the form of a female body and a flower vase in the form of a human head.

Kallista is the author of many designer prints for fashion clothes, jewelry, fashion bags and accessories, and sculptural compositions.

Can you tell us about the process you use to create your works? What is your typical workday routine?

My usual day starts with a cup of invigorating coffee. I wake up early . I can start working from 7 in the morning and looking up from the picture and looking at the clock, see that it is already 10 pm, days and weeks fly by so imperceptibly when I work on a new art work. I have a lot of drafts with sketches and I always choose what kind of work I will create. Unfortunately, I still cannot realize all the ideas and artistic images that are in my drafts, there is always not enough time, I always have to choose. The constant lack of time is the main problem in my life.

It takes a lot of time to create one picture, not one day, sometimes weeks is a huge work. The complex technique of creating a picture, many layers, creating textures, all this makes itself felt. I would like to believe that everything I have planned, all those images that are in my head, I will be able to recreate and realize. When I finish work on a new painting, it is comparable to the birth of a child, I experience incredible sensations and understand that life has not been lived in vain.

Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to create?

It's hard for me to answer the question where I get inspiration from. New images appear before my eyes quite suddenly, often when I did not expect it at all, for example, like words, poems, lines that come to the poet from somewhere outside.

I can sit on a plane, we take off and a new image appears before my eyes or I remember sitting on a beautiful beach in Greece and suddenly an incredible artistic image appears before my eyes.

I always carry a notebook with me and fix sketches in order to recreate these images on canvas later.

What has been your most outstanding achievement to date?

There are many art projects behind my back, I am not only a participant but also a winner of many international art projects, I have held 15 personal exhibition projects, participated in more than 40 international exhibitions in countries such as France, Italy, Russia, Israel, UAE, Qatar, Greece , Holland, England, Serbia, China, etc.

Since I create a lot of feminine images, a significant event is that in 2021, for innovation in art and creating incredible artistic images, I entered the list of great women of art in the world, according to the independent Italian art critic and art critic Francesco Cetta, and got into the book GREAT WOMEN ARTS. In 2021, my artworks work was exhibited in England at the Saatchi Gallery. It is also significant for me that I got into the 100 Artists of the Future project, it is very valuable for me.

In 2019, I published the book Immortal Art, which sold out very quickly.

In 2020, I  published a book of an incredible art project called "SHE", which is dedicated to every woman in this world.

Despite my numerous achievements and awards, it always seems to me that I have not done something, I am very self-critical towards myself, I am constantly in search.

What are your ultimate career goals?

My main career goal is constant work, this is a creative process, this is the creation of new works of art, this is the creation of new artistic images. When I create new works of art, I live, for me it is a sign of life.

What are you working on now, and what can we expect from you soon?

Now I am working on creating a new collection of copyright works of art. I am also currently working on a new author's book.