What is the best thing that I love about my work?
As an artist, I am emotionally dependent on the audience, and someone’s appreciation and attention mean a lot to me. At the same time, I believe it is very important to remain independent in my decisions, to do my work the way I like it myself. And I believe that for each author there will be his own audience who will understand, accept and love his work. This means that my creativity allows me to remain myself and at the same time attract people who are close to me in spirit.
What is my idea of happiness?
Happiness is the absence or the presence of something. The absence of fear is happiness. When you are not afraid for the health yours and your loved ones, when you are not afraid of violence, when you are not worried about how you will pay the bills tomorrow. Happiness is a passion for life and an understanding of your goal. When your business is so interesting to you that your eyes burn and your breath catches with excitement. Happiness is the confidence that what you do is needed by people.
What is my greatest fear?
Fear of helplessness and dependence.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?
Diffidence. This is a weakness and a very destructive feeling. Which gets in the way in everything – from work to personal relationships.
Vanity. I am very vain and I desperately need praise and recognition. A person who admires me can plait ropes out of me.
Which living persons in my profession do i most admire?
I admire Yayoi Kusama’s talent and willpower. This artist has lived to a venerable age, not stopping in her pursuit of art. Everyone knows her health problems, which she was able to courageously endure and use to benefit her creativity. This is a person with a strong character, inexhaustible creativity and endless energy.
What is my greatest extravagance?
This word has a negative connotation, and it is assumed that I will tell about some of my qualities, which I condemn in myself. I am not breaking the law and I am not harming anyone. I accept myself for who I am. Well, maybe except for being overweight (just kidding). There is no extravagance in me, just as there is nothing superfluous. Everything is natural in me.
On what occasion would I lie?
I try not to lie. Because I think that lies humiliate me and my interlocutor. I will lie under pressure and threat of violence.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?
Delayed recognition. A theater or film actor sees his audience and fans in real time. He has a constant source of positive feedback in real time. The artist has to create for the future and in conditions of uncertainty. It is not known whether what he is doing at the moment will bring him recognition. Moments of satisfaction are only when someone wants to make a purchase of his painting. The desire to make your artwork yours is the best compliment for an artist.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work?
It seems that happiness is some kind of event that can be told about. In fact, happiness is a state that we are rarely aware of in the moment. We can only remember: it was then that I was happy. I know that I am happy now. As I know, I’ve beeing happy for many years before.
If I could, what would I change about myself?
I would like to be able to love myself and loved ones more.
What is my greatest achievement in work?
My works took part in the exhibition of the New Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia).
Where would I most like to live?
I was born in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). Even as a child, I saw Moscow (Russia) in photographs and fell in love with this city in absentia. For many years I have been working on the opportunity to move to another country, to this city. So now I can say that I live in the city of my dreams.
What is my most treasured possession?
I am Soroka. This is my artistic nickname. This word in translation means Magpie. The bird who loves all brilliant, is constantly looking for it and collecting it. I consider my main treasure is brilliant and outstanding people who have met me throughout my life. What I value in myself, I found thanks to their brilliance.
What is my most marked characteristic?
Once I experimented with my friends. I asked them one question, promising not to be offended by an honest answer. I asked them what they dislike most about me. Almost everyone answered one thing – my dislike of compromise. This surprised me, because I have always appreciated this quality in myself. I still don’t believe in compromises. I believe that this is a situation where either one of both adjusts and loses, or both loses. Now I know that this is the most marked characteristic of mine.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city?
Forest. The windows of my house overlook the forest. Every morning I start with looking out the window and looking at the trees.
What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?
I have been living in my city for many years, but I still have not acquired a favorite place to eat. Because I love eating at home most of all. But I know places where the tastiest ice cream and the best coffee are. I like to take one or the other with me to take away and walk around the city with a paper cup in my hands.
What books influenced my life and how?
“The Chronicles of Amber” by Zelazny Roger. The kind of power worthy to dream of. The princes of Amber travel the universe, creating their own realities with the power of thought.
“Gone With the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell. I read this book as a child and was impressed by the story of a fragile woman who was raised like a helpless doll in a world owned by men. But which, in difficult circumstances, demonstrated such strength of mind and determination that men did not possess, accustomed to the fact that this world was under their control.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?
When I’m working, I listen to music. When I’m jogging, I listen to another. I prefer to dance to completely different melodies. When I’m driving, I like to listen to the sound of the engine. When I walk in the woods or in the city, I like to listen to the world around me. When I need to think about something, I choose silence in order to be alone with myself. I don’t know which I would prefer when I die – to be alone with my thoughts or to escape from them.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?
I have already told about the book “Gone with the Wind”. The heroine of my childhood is Scarlett O’Hara. Of adult me – there is not heroine.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?
It is difficult to name one or even several. Throughout my life, I have met people who have served me as an example and expanded my view of the world. The hero and heroine can be the most ordinary person who is not even aware of his great mission.
Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime?
“The Handmaid’s Tales”. An exaggerated and absurd situation makes us look at the surrounding reality of the patriarchal world with different eyes.
What role play stories in my life and work?
The stories that I tell myself allow me to understand myself. The stories told by other people allow me to better understand the world around me and realize my place in it.
What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me?
When we tell stories, we begin to believe in them. And since we believe in something, then it really is so for us. Therefore, storytelling is magic that can change the world.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?
I’m sure I’m having yet to figure out.
Which people or companies would I like to work with in 2021?
Alison Jacques Gallery (London); Victoria Miro Gallery (London).
Which people in my profession who can make a real difference in my creative career would i love to meet in 2021?
Teresa Iarocci Mavica, Grayson Perry, Damien Hirst.
What project, in 2021, am I looking forward to work on?
I want to start to cooperate with a London gallery in which I could show a personal exhibition in 2021. And which could have presented my work at Frieze London in 2022.
Where can you see me or my work in 2021?
You can see my work on my website: https://elenasoroka.art/en/
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?
Life is passion. As long as one exists, the other also exists. Both that and another never retires, but only ends.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?
Marian Bantjes @bantjes, Eva Busevich @evabusevich
How can you contact me?
You can contact me either by email elena@elenasoroka.art, or on Facebook:
The Heroine's Journey 