- by Kika Espejo
“STAY STRONG, BELIEVE IN HELL, AND FALL IN LOVE WITH ME”
"Stay Strong, Believe in Hell and Fall In Love With Me" is the title of one of Maksym Kazarin's paintings, and this title is a great tell of the depth and drama of the work this man creates. Ukrainian born, Maksim decided to be an artist when he turned 20. He graduated from Economics with a specialty in Logistics but the art world always hypnotized him, especially the ability artists had to create sincere and beautiful works of art.
His initiation into the art world was motivated by finding a medium with which he could connect all the knowledge and ideas he had along with the way he felt about himself and the world around him. "It's a strange feeling to have all these things within you that must be expressed,” says Kazarin about what drives he need to create art, “you just can’t leave it or forget it. This is your dialogue with reality, the meaning of death, your fury."
At first, his works took the form of abstract painting and installation, with a main focus on textures for which he used materials such as wood, metal, and worn materials. From abstract painting, Maksym while still appreciating the possibilities offered by painting as a form of representation, has taken an artistic turn towards more sculptural works that include collage, drawing, diverse objects, and other media.
Maksym’s work engages with a sense not regularly engaged by art, touch. Theses creations have a primitive and urban style often complemented with texts and popular iconography. Each piece leaves you inspired as well as laughing as Kazarin is always able to show a lot of playfulness and a sense and humor despite the serious tones and intensity of his work. According to Maksym, his work "is not based so much on an idea but on the search for freedom, on the opportunity to observe the beauty of automatism and chaos, the ease and indifference of the beginning of the image."
Maksym's process begins with isolation, with the need to be alone. "It's a completely different feeling. At some point, you understand that something has to leave you. You feel it inside, like a huge impulse, like a wave. It takes over you, and then you just wait for the moment to take you there. When this happens, the shape it takes doesn’t matter. It can be anything, an image, a painting, a photograph.”
Kazarin’s work has only one message: to be honest and true to oneself. In the conception, the execution and the exhibition, the objective of his art is to communicate a sense of truthfulness, not in an absolute sense but in a completely personal one.
Maksym has achieved great success in his country of origin and abroad. He is a member of the Slava Frolova Group, an artist platform created by the Ukrainian celebrity Slava Frolova. He has also participated in group exhibitions that include "Civic Mysticim" (Institute of Modern Painting, Kyiv), "Ukrainian Language" (Museum of Spiritual Treasures of Ukraine, Kyiv), Outsiders (Museum of Contemporary Art, Odessa) and "Kardiagramm" in Book of the Arsenal Fair (Kyiv). His solo exhibition "Three", presented during the Art-Picnic event in Kiev, has been one of his most successful exhibitions.
Adding to his artistic practice, Maksym has also been invited to do works for prestigious Ukrainian designers such as Yova Jager (interior designer) and Denis Music (jewelry designer) for whom he has produced installations for design walls and sculptural pieces. Currently, he is dedicated to interior design where he uses different authorship techniques which "allow him to improve and find new answers to very old questions.”
Maksym emphasizes the need to improve every day and to not be afraid of going crazy with one's work. He believes the only objective indicator of success is honesty and personal satisfaction, and he encourages anyone who wants to start in the art world to "believe and love what they do and use all possible ways to get to heaven."
Even though it sounds simple, it is very difficult to stay on the road every time the "wave covers you" and you lose track of what is being done and why.” But without a doubt, Maksym has managed to stay strong despite all the waves and ups and downs of his life and art”, becoming a reference of contemporary Ukrainian art and always working hard to make that which he needs to make.
MAKSYM KAZARIN
UKRAINE
