1. Which personal qualities help an artist to make art and which hinder?
Cunning and greed are powerful foundations on which an artist's career is built. Lack of motivation and general lethargy ruins everything. Probably also stupidity and bigotry.
2. What is your favorite pastime besides art?
I have no time for other activities, I work almost around the clock, as they say, without lunch and weekends. By the way, that was the title of one of my retrospective exhibitions, «10 Years Without Lunch and Weekends».
3. Have you ever had a situation in your life that influenced your art positively/negatively? Or has it greatly changed your views on what you do?
My views were formed quite a long time ago. My first works in the style in which I still work today date back to about 1997. And the situations that positively influenced my creativity were two: studying at the university and teaching at the university. That’s all.
4. Who would you like to talk to out of the personalities who have ever lived or are living now? Why this particular person?
I would be interested in talking to V. V. Putin, there are some questions.
5. How does your art change the world, the culture, and yourself?
I get a great deal of pleasure and a good income from my art, but we can only guess what it changes. That's probably a question for the audience.
6. What do you think the future of contemporary art is?
I don't see any other alternative: contemporary art today will be forgotten or will become a classic.
7. What do you think about the ups and downs of NFT? Do you have any NFT projects?
Frankly, I don't care about ups and downs, it's none of my business. I used to have NFT projects, and a year ago I even made some money in that field. The main conclusion that I made: to move well in that market, you need to have an investor and a professional team, if you are alone, you have nothing to do there.
8. What is the most valuable for you (in the world, in life, in creativity)?
Life, health and loved ones, the rest is secondary.