At 26-years old Russian digital artist Elijah Zakharov caught our eye with his work. Reference points are varied but that is no surprise as it is clear his glitch art work has a foundation in the esoteric with clear inspiration taken from the scientific literature that he has “always liked”. We decided to talk with Elijah Zakharov (all be it too briefly) to find our inner glitch.
We always ask about an artist’s background and how that may have impacted on their chosen path so discuss-what was growing up like?
My past has played a big role for me. My parents are both artists by education. And I grew up in a creative atmosphere. From very early childhood I began to draw. I graduated from art school, then entered the university as an architect.
There is a feeling of cognitive dissonance. Classic (perfection) with modern image processing techniques-imperfect.
We note you are from Russia tell us about the art world there and what drives the scene in Russia?
The economy in Russia is not quite stable at present. All residents are trying to earn money as much as possible. For this reason, art fades into the background. But still there remains a creative class of people who create because they cannot live without it. Theatrical art is very developed in my city. A lot of performances. This year a modern exhibition space opened. In addition to this, in my city there are many classic galleries of fine art. But we have something to strive for.
Talk to us about your own personal creativity.
I am very versatile. I am also engaged in applied art. Previously engaged in sculpture. Even in 2015 I recorded a music album. In general, I have always been in search. With digital art I liked the fact that it takes surrealism to a new level. An infinite number of means of expression. Everyone can find their own style in this kind of art and this style will be individual.
Themes seem fluid and unrestricted.
I use classical sculptures and techniques of artistic glitch is already quite common. I really like this trick. There is a feeling of cognitive dissonance. Classic (perfection) with modern image processing techniques-imperfect.
There is a certain dark/ maybe dystopian edge to work.
Maybe. At one time I was greatly influenced by Akira Yamaoka compass with the Silent Hill (1999-2014) soundtracks. The atmosphere that he conveyed through his music just swallowed me up and affected my work. You can see that in some of my abstract work. It is another world that cannot be touched, only seen-it’s a world which fascinates me.
