Mark Kondratiuk: “I can't call my exhibitions successful”

Russian figure skater Mark Kondratiuk spoke about preparing for the exhibition with his paintings, as well as how he became interested in painting.

Let's talk about art and your hobbies. What and when prompted you to be creative?

– In the spring of 2017, I visited London for the first time and went to an exhibition at the Tate modern museum, I didn’t understand anything. At the time, I thought it was some kind of nonsense. However, when I returned there a year later, I realized that it was a masterpiece. At the same time, I watched a film about Basquiat, and these two events inspired me so much that two weeks after returning to Moscow, I began to closely engage in this activity.

- Top 3 favorite artists?

- Malevich, Basquiat, Hieronymus Bosch. What inspires you to paint pictures? Any manifestation of creativity. It can be books, music, paintings, movies, whatever. Some people are inspired by nature, but I am inspired by such things. But that doesn't mean I'm copying. I draw images and, so to speak, experience.

- Did you have a creative block, and if so, how did you overcome it?

- In quarantine, I had a complete breakdown, I fell into apathy. I had the feeling that everything I had done before was just not good enough. I don't like it, but I can't think of anything new. I got out of this state when the realization came to me that soon I would go to the training camp, see my friends, go out on the ice and stop just sitting at home because of the pandemic.

- When was the last time you created?

- Literally a week ago, I'm getting ready for the exhibition.

– When do you plan to hold it?

- I'll try to organize it in the summer. - About exhibitions.

Have the ones you've done so far been successful?

- I think no. I am pleased that I was able to organize them almost independently, but, based on the number of visitors, I cannot call them such. 200-300 people for me is neither fish nor fowl, - said Kondratyuk.