Anastasia Opara tells:
“During the Soviet Union Vladimir Opara, my father, had a perception and understanding of
creativity that contradicted with official soviet art. To withstand the difficulties he chose Van
Gogh as his mystical ally, as he saw similarities between his and Van Gogh's fate. The
opportunity to have an exhibition in Van Gogh's home country was always very inspiring to
him, and with the help of friends it resulted in the group exhibition of my father, my mother
and me in Den Haag in Pulchri.”
What is the exposition in The Hague about?
“Art works and history of three personalities are present on the exhibition: my father, my
mother and me. We are inevitably influenced by each other, we grow from the same ideas,
however, the way we express it is individual. The relationships between our works will be
evident on the exhibition.”
What is your part in it?
“I can be perceived as my parents' personal art project, and in my works there is a natural
continuation of their ideas filtered through my own vision and experience.”
What will specifically you show?
“Art works and history of three personalities are present on the exhibition: my father, my
mother and me. We are inevitably influenced by each other, we grow from the same ideas,
however, the way we express it is individual. The relationships between our works will be
evident on the exhibition. I will show my 3D works done in IGAD and photographs I made in
Artfor and during travelling with my parents: Netherlands, Germany, France, Czech
Republic.”
Why do you love art?
“Art is self-expression, a vision, a life philosophy, an essential part of being for me. Creative
ideas can be found anywhere, and their connections evolve new ways of seeing. Art can be
in everything: it can be in a form of a can on a street, intersections of shadows on a road, a
construction site near your house - anything, that sparkles your imagination.
What is so very special about the art of you and your parents?
“My parents were among the pioneers of digital art in Russia. They saw enormous
opportunities in camera and computer as tools for art. Since my birth I was greatly exposed
to those ideas. Our art vision is intertwined, yet individual. My interest in 3D computer
graphics can be seen as continuation of my parents' ideas. I'm drawn to the artistic potential
offered by modern computer software and the concept of games' interactivity, and I want to
explore their intersections and possible cooperations with other creative fields.”
What are your earliest memories of being creative?
“My parents granted me complete freedom in creativity since my very early childhood. When
I didn't even learn how to walk, I liked to paint on the walls of our apartment. My parents saw
it as my artistic expression, and covered all the walls with white wallpaper. Thus the
apartment became my canvas.”
Why should staff and students of NHTV visit the exibition at Pulchri’s in The Hague?
“It is always interesting to see what your peers are doing, the background they came from,
the goals they have. I hope, the exhibition will be inspiring for every visitor and they will find
something of interest for themselves.”
By the way, why did you pick Breda NHTV for study?
“My parents see my formation and education as another of their projects, so the choice of
place was very important. We visited NHTV before applying and we were lucky to see
graduation projects by IGAD student . At that time I was studying in British Higher School of
Art and Design, and though IGAD was quite different, I felt like it was the place that can give
me what I seek. In my motivation letter for the application to the NHTV I wrote that back then
I could only contemplate from the ground the endless space of knowledge, where every star
is an unexplored opportunity for self-development, and I wanted to learn how to build a
spaceship that can help me to reach those. Of course no one will build it for you, but in the
right place you will be taught which parts you need, and I believed that IGAD was the place.
And so far I wasn't wrong.”
What do you like about Holland?
“The first thing that amazed me was how tidy and well-maintained everything is. Dutch
people treat their land with respect, you can see that in every bit that they have available. It is
very inspiring to see as the land was not given, it was earned with hard work. But at the
same time Dutch know how to enjoy the life. For me, a Moscow citizen, it was nearly a
discovery that people are not rushing all day, that they smile to strangers or whistle a tune
while cycling to work, because the morning is beautiful, and that they enjoy the moment. It is
a great example of balance.”
What do you not like about Holland?
“The things I can complain about are very minor, and they are more a matter of habits I miss
from Moscow like that stores work 24/7 and on Sundays. I tried to think about more, but
nothing comes to mind - that says something, doesn’t it?”
What are your future plans, what would make you happy?
“If your personal projects bring you money to continue and be able to support yourself, it is
great. If your projects start to engage other people and allow you to continue together and
even expand, it is excellent. If not, having a job that can support you and doing personal
projects in free time is also an option. No matter what you should never stop exercising
creative problem solving and broadening your sources of inspiration. Challenging yourself
with new tasks is the way to advance.
Experimentation, finding non-obvious solutions, viewing the subject from a different angle,
learning new things - that is what makes me happy.”
Text by: Rosaline Ratering
RosaLife Art Agency.com (www.rosalife-art-agency.com)