Interview with Artist: Lina Kogan
by Galina Kovshilovsky
Why do you do what you do?
The world around me is multifaceted, interconnected with some bright vibrant areas and intriguing monochromatic calm spaces. Making art is the way for me to share my point of view, to make my mark, and relate with others.
What’s is your background?
I feel fortunate to have come of age in Kiev, Ukraine, during the Perestroyka times, exposed to formal traditional education in both Visual Arts and STEM as they now call it. After moving to Los Angeles in the early 90s I discovered the whole new world of modern art through college courses, international travel and museums, which helped me form my vision. I continued to explore both creative and technical paths, I have an MS degree in computer science with a specialization in multimedia and creative technologies from USC. I have been creating ceramics, sculpture and collage in Los Angeles since 1996.
What art do you most identify with?
I am inspired by DaDa Art, Minimalism, Constructivism, Alexander Calder's mobiles, Joan Miro, Bauhaus movement. Peter Volkus, Kenneth Price are some of my idols in ceramic, non-functional art. I am fascinated by Central American Pre-Columbian art. Current influences are Lee Bontecou, Eva Hesse, Rothko, Geordio de Chirico to name a few. My art is always evolving, I consider myself a mixed media abstract artitst.
What work do you most enjoying doing?
In art school my favorite subject was sculpture, that's why I started out as a ceramic artist, working with my hands with wet clay. I enjoy building textures and layers, all my work has some kind of third dimention, even if it's collage on paper. I enjoy experimenting with new materials and mediums to create different visuall effects and meanings.
What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
My mind works best with images and visual connections. I remember being about 4 years old and explaining to my mom that every letter of the alphabet has its own color. I was proud that I knew them all, and was very surprised and even upset to find out that nobody else knew what they were. I thought everyone knew that letter A is a very light blue with a shade of gray.
Can you describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
I had the opportunity to teach sculpture and art history to elementary school children, when my kids were younger. It really inspired me to broaden my horizons and to dive into different levels of connecting with my favorite artists. It also influenced my own art practice.
Why art?
Art is something that can provide answers to life questions on so many levels. I am very curious about art history, modern art especially, as it relates to design and architecture. I practice art to reach harmony through the images I produce. With technology dominating our lives we often find it hard to focus, to connect with who (and what) matters most. My recent work is about that - I deconstruct technical gadgets that become obsolete so quickly and turn them into brush-strokes and elements of composition in collage.
What is artistic outlook on life?
Creativity has many forms. Some people are musical, some perform, write poetry and prose to express themselves. It's important to have an outlet for your inner creativity. I try to look at everyday objects around me and find something interesting about them, not necessarily traditionally beautiful, but some harmony of shapes, colors and deeper meaning. I often stop and take pictures of wires with birds on them or cracked paint on a sidewalk.
What makes you angry?
I get angry when I try to change something outside of my control. That's why recently I made a few pieces about control - not having it, trying to gain it, etc. I get angry at myself for not being able to focus to complete what I consider important. This is why I look for outlet in my art often dealing with issues of focus and search for harmony in the chaos.
What is your dream project?
I plan to create an installation / moving sculpture with ceramic and mixed media elements. It's a very technical work, I made ceramics high fired glazed spheres which are pretty heavy, so I need to plan and execute it with my engineering hat on. Visually I am striving for colorful minimalism combining materials that defy traditional norms.
Another one is a large installation of the "deconstructed" series of mixed media assemblages with elements of ancient technology that was cutting edge just recently. In my dream it will have interactive elements of sound, sort of an electronic music collage, it may be a collaboration.
What is your favorite or the most inspiration place in the world?
I love to travel and explore new places, countries, cultures. I used to get really excited in Kiev railway station as a kid, because it meant adventure. I can't say that LAX is my favorite place though :) I do feel very inspired while exploring the world from a car window on road trips whether it's in California, Scandinavia, Japan, Mexico or Thailand - this is when I often take notes about my new projects. I am very motivated by travel in general, but surprisingly, I am pretty inspired and content in my home in LA during quarantine.
What is your goal?
I make it my mission to raise awareness and appreciation of modern, abstract, minimalistic, non-traditional art. "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable" - this quote is attributed to both Mexican poet Cesar A. Cruz and Banksy. It definetely resonates with my goals. I would like to share my vision and passion through art, my goal is the connection and constructive dialog with my viewers.
