In this interview, we delve into the world of the artist known as Metsayabi ART. She shares her unique perspective on art, talks about the influence of isolation on her art and reveals the philosophy behind her work. Metsayabi invites us on a journey through her inner world, where art becomes a bridge between the physical and the spiritual.
From the information about you on the confederation's website, we learned that you were isolated in the Amazon jungle. How did this affect your perception of art and your creative process? What lessons did you learn from this experience?
Being in isolation and a state of loneliness is my natural element for creativity. Interacting with the social world requires a lot of engagement, and in order to delve deeper and discover the idea I'm working on, I need to “get out of this reality”. Isolation allows me to direct my focus of attention to the inner, secret and spiritual, to take a journey and from there take the art out and materialize it on canvas. This state gives me a powerful resource not only for art, but also for knowing myself.
What does the name Metsayabi mean to you, and how does it reflect your artistic philosophy and style?
Metsayabi is not just an initiated name. It is a Gift that allows you to show a vision of energy flows that create a picture of the world. It is a phenomenon that happens to me when I sit down at the canvas and pick up my brushes. Collecting each line brought out in the flow, sometimes mixing colors according to a technology I do not understand, I realize that it is not me who creates art. And I have no right to appropriate it for myself. I am only a tool in this process and I am no different from the same brush I hold in my hands. But I have been given the opportunity to represent Metsayabi art in this reality.
You mention that you strive to convey a new impulse of Life to mankind through your works. Can you tell us more about how you realize this idea in your works?
I often see people who bury themselves in sorting out fears and triggers ad infinitum, especially in the current environment. They believe that they will find harmony and happiness by dealing with their complexes. But this won't happen, as focusing on fears only breeds new problems. Instead, it is worth changing direction and exploring the universe, which will allow you to see the whole picture and experience freedom. When you fly on an airplane, at altitude you can see a city, a country, an island or any settlement on a scale and in detail that you cannot see walking on the ground and even more so burying yourself in the ground. It is an inexpressible feeling of freedom, breadth of perception, streams of clean air. After such a switch you will not be the same, because the frames have disappeared and you have seen a whole picture. You can talk about it a lot in theory, but it is worth trying to switch once.
Your work is colorful, full and rich. How did you search for and develop your unique style? Were there any key moments or influences that helped you shape your artistic vision?
I didn't have any painting teachers. I felt from the beginning that it was important to find my inner uniqueness. How can another author teach this? Everyone has their own angle, style, voice. Where's mine? What will I spend my artistic voice on? These questions arose in moments of crisis. I went by instinct, guided by inner feelings of acceptance and rejection, until I learned to create freely. One day I realized that through Metsayabi I was creating something that was not only important to me, but also to others. My worries about my lack of academic background faded into the background, because my lack of knowledge does not take away my ability to see the world in my own way. It's a personally formative process where I am my own mentor. I have my own prism of perception. I can borrow the experiments and tools of others, but only through the prism of my uniqueness. And my uniqueness is to carry the message of Metsayabi.
What contemporary educational programs have most influenced your work, and how have they helped you develop your unique style?
The greatest influence on me was the program “I Want to Art Environment”. During lectures and meetings, I destroyed some myths about the relationship between artists and galleries. I gained a useful visibility for every artist, collected such an important package of documents for every artist, met a lot of other interesting artists and the main advantage of training for me is that on the course no one teaches and does not impose as necessary. And push you to go to work with yourself and there to find your unique style. And also for me the discovery of the point of my and Metsayabi's research was an eye-opening experience.
You wrote that you have participated in different competitions in many countries. How has participation influenced your development as an artist? What lessons and experiences have you learned from these competitions and how have they contributed to your professional growth?
Yes, I have participated in several competitions. In addition to Golden Time Talent, in London, this year I participated in the Dali Mustache in Spain and American Edition. International contest, USA. All the awards I received will be added to the list of achievements in my application packet.
You mentioned that isolation allows you to materialize art on canvas. Can you describe the process of how an idea becomes a finished work?
This may sound strange to some, but I've been nurturing the idea like a baby in the womb. It must take some time for it to come to fruition. And in the moment, I begin to hear the smell of linseed oil. It comes from within and accompanies me. For me it is a signal of readiness and I sit down to work. In the process of work, when the canvas is filled with color, I read the key points of the idea, i.e. I have a realization on the subject. But even if I see a picture in my head, it turns out completely different - as if without the contrivances of the human mind. All works, regardless of their format, I do in one sitting, being in the flow of this idea.
How did you come to the realization that you are just a tool in the process of creating art? Was it a moment of insight or a gradual realization?
I confess that realization did not come immediately. There was a period when I believed that I was a little bit too important, that I was confidently “holding God by the balls”. But such illusions are inevitably doomed to failure. At a certain point in my spiritual development, I was shown that those who get stuck in a state of arrogance and omnipotence take on too much and easily break under the load. Fortunately, I didn't break, but for a year I forgot how to hold a paintbrush, let alone create anything. So for me, the realization that I am only a tool has become fundamental. It doesn't mean helplessness, just that some events happen regardless of our desires or efforts. In this state, I feel that my actions and decisions are directed and inspired by a Higher Power. In such moments, I experience oneness with the Higher Order and feel peace of mind and fulfillment. This is probably why my works are so alive.
How do you deal with crisis moments in finding your artistic voice? Do you have strategies or rituals that help you overcome creative blocks?
The crisis moment of an artistic voice arises precisely in the search for that artistic voice. And when you know what you want to tell the world and you explore it deeper and deeper, there are no crisis moments. I don't have any special rituals, unless in the pocket of my apron I keep runes, which help me to maintain balance and feel the flow more clearly, as well as a breathing practice before the beginning, aimed at clearing my thoughts.
What topics or ideas do you plan to explore in your future works? Do you have specific projects you would like to realize in the near future?
Yes I have a few ideas that I plan to implement in the coming year. I want to delve more deeply into the topic of traveling between realities, and I also want to convey through art the concept of the process of manada coming into existence on this planet, where manada is an entity that is part of a larger and universal world order. It is like the Soul, which is seen as a bridge between the physical world and the higher, spiritual state of existence, which seeks enlightenment through a series of rebirths in different realities and hypostases. Such a short disclaimer for now. I think the topic will unfold further as I work on the draft of this series.
How has participating in international competitions changed your perception of yourself as an artist on the world stage? What new opportunities or perspectives have they opened up for you?
It's hard for me to judge how my perception of myself on the world stage has changed. Perhaps I have overcome my barriers on the topic of manifestation. I am more confident in myself and my art and motivated that the topic I have taken up for research is not only interesting to me, but also to most other people. I can't say anything about new opportunities and perspectives yet.
