"Let them think that I am a jester pea"

The artist from the Amur Region Alexei Zakamenny became known in his city when his work was refused to exhibit at the local local history museum. It seemed to the organizers that paintings with Stalin, Lenin, Putin and Medvedev did not fit into the exposition "Art and Revolution". The artist silently took his work, and soon, when the news about this dispersed in the networks, one of the foreign art galleries invited him to put up paintings in Europe.

-How did your work be at the exhibition in honor of the 100th anniversary of the revolution in the Amur Regional Museum of Local Lore?

- At the beginning of summer, at one of the city events, I met local artists, they suggested: you have good paintings, enter our union. I decided: it means the time has come, since they are called. He asked how to get. They talked about this exhibition. Just after it, I was supposed to admit to the creative union of artists of the Amur Region. By the memorable date, I painted thematic paintings. This revolution was not interested in before that, there are many other interesting topics for embodiment on canvas. I like tattoos more, for example.

Putin immediately refused to exhibit. Because he is in power. Who exactly gave the instructions - I do not know, I see them all for the first time

In the last days of October, I brought my work to the museum. Putin immediately refused to exhibit. Because he is in power. Who exactly gave instructions - I do not know, I see them all for the first time. It seems like the head of the museum. The rest of the paintings - with Medvedev, Stalin and Lenin - hung for two days. November 1 was an official discovery. I came to the invitation and found that there were no paintings. They didn’t even warn me, they just removed them. Allegedly, someone called from the administration and asked about it. It is necessary to shine with scales. I did not understand what and why. No, no. He took the paintings and hung it in his tattoo salon. After this, the incident realized that we and the official representatives of the "creative elite" were not on the way. I will not be going to draw what they will tell you from above, I am not going to be pleased. I don't like politicized art.

- Have you thought about the existence of censorship earlier?

Well, what can an artist? Change the system? They are just this artist to be “freezed” so that he was not visible, it was not heard

- Not before, never. And now I ran into, was surprised. Well, what can an artist? Change the system? They are simply “deputy” to this artist so that he was not visible, they were not heard. It is necessary to look for opportunities anyway, to expose at least somewhere. If they don’t give anywhere anywhere, in other countries, then somewhere.

- Representatives of the competent authorities held conversations with you? Didn't try to attract extremism, for example?

- No. They asked to draw pictures on the anniversary of the revolution - I drew. I looked on the Internet information. What happened then, what mood is now. He connected all this and portrayed in his works. I am an artist - I pass the state of the masses. In these paintings, I wanted to show that there is a layer of society, rather, even its main part, which is unhappy with what is happening in the country.

I am not particularly interesting to me at all. I don't watch TV. On the Internet, I read what will come across on the question of interest. There are no special preferences. I do not go to the polls, the last time I was in the army and then - by compulsion. I think that they will figure it out without me. If you take foreign policy, our president is just well done. He is respected and afraid all over the world. I consider this a significant achievement. But when the teacher has a salary of 8 thousand rubles, and she needs to pay half of this amount for the apartment, this is not normal. Again, the cost of gasoline is constantly growing regardless of oil prices. Therefore, my paintings are a fresh look at the revolution.

I drew Stalin back in 2016. This is a variation of the famous picture "Stalin in Potsdam." At a meeting with world leaders, he managed to achieve agreements very beneficial for the Soviet Union. Politicians, historians and critics still cannot explain how he succeeded.

These tsarist dachas showed the people - look, steal, look, and greet. The people went out somewhere, smoked, and everyone forgot

It's no secret that Stalin was a thief in law. And I'm a tattoo, I like to draw on the body, so I put forward my hypothesis of what happened. That at the Potsdam conference was hot, Stalin threw off his tunic, everyone saw these tattoos and immediately agreed with his requirements.

And to the exhibition I already portrayed modern politicians - Putin and Medvedev. In the picture with the prime minister, he handed over the story with Navalny through a quadrocopter. The situation is really ambiguous: these tsarist dachas showed the people - look, steal, look, and live. The people went out somewhere, smoked and forgot everyone. This is not clear to me. Why are everyone afraid? What will they be killed?!

Putin in my picture is depicted as a puppet. Thus, the idea is shown that the country is not ruled by the president, but by the oligarchs. A certain group of people dictating their conditions

Putin in my picture is depicted as a puppet. Thus, the idea is shown that the country is not ruled by the president, but by the oligarchs. A certain group of people dictating their conditions. Also in the picture with Putin, he touched on sore topics of the Amur region. Although in general I like the Far East, and I do not plan to leave here. But we live in three hydroelectric power stations, and pay fabulous amounts for electricity. Why is all this in private hands, and the president cannot deal with this? He must understand the needs of the people and dictate the rules as a head of state. At the same time, everything is on the Internet, a bunch of evidence, the appeals of the people to the president and the prime minister. And it seems that they hear everything, promise to fix it, but in reality nothing changes.

- Did you expect such a reaction to your work? There were originally fears that they would refuse to participate in the exhibition?

- I did not expect such a reaction. There is no specific revolutionary situation in the country. It’s just that I, as an artist, wanted to attract the president’s interest in folk moods. The government finally draws attention to domestic policy. The revolution is needed on the one hand, but it is needed in the heads of people. A hundred years ago, terrible, cruel events occurred. When they enter the house and shoot innocent citizens, when the brother goes to his brother, the father is against his son. Civil war is not needed. Our task is to convey our problems to the authorities. Someone writes complaints, and I write paintings. I would like to make the life of the people at least a little better.

- How did you come from tattoos to paintings?

- This is the expected development, because for high -quality tattoos you need to make competent sketches. You develop as a master, learn to mix colors. The tattoo is much more complicated than the picture. If something went wrong on the canvas, you can add more dark or light. There can be no errors on the skin.

I have been studying the art of painting since 2013. He lived for some time in Baikal at the school of Andrei Mikhailov. At his master classes he talked with other artists. I received an invaluable experience there. Now I am improving on my own. I draw constantly, every day. At one time he was very fond of portraits. He made a personal exhibition several years ago in one of the local shopping centers. In just a few days I sold half the work. I received a lot of orders. I already have my followers, students. I realized that I can do a lot, began to experiment.

There are several psychological works. He portrayed fate on the throne, distributing the scenarios of life to souls in the image of angels. And in the background, blind ariadne weave the thread of fate. First, the souls of ash, and then get their cherished scroll and gain the earthly essence. So one angel is so upset by the fate cooked to him that he burst into tears. Another picture is the struggle against internal demons, where I portrayed myself, crucifying myself on the cross. Since we ourselves are victims and blasphemers. And one of my favorite paintings is a tattoo on my heart, since a tattoo is my life.

- Why do people make tattoos? Is this not connected with fashion for the prison subculture?

- Tattoo has been made since ancient times. To attract something desired in your life, and from something, on the contrary, to protect. Maybe someone wants to assert himself. I don't know. For example, I had a picture where Putin with a cut and a phrase from the film "Brother-2". The man asked - I portrayed. Why exactly this? Without a concept. Or a few months ago he was invited to the Beijing festival as a jury. One Chinese wanted a tattoo with the images of communist leaders - Lenin, Mao Zedong, Marx, Engels. The customer was satisfied with the work. And this is the main thing, but why these images will be on the body or picture - everyone chooses himself.

- Who is your audience? What plots are more willing to sell?

- Middle class. The prices are small. If members of the local Union of Artists draw portraits from 35 thousand rubles, I give my work for symbolic 5 thousand rubles. The most popular - portraits of Vysotsky and Tsoi, they are most often ordered. Fidel Castro painted on order: in a sports olympic and camouflage pants with a cigar in his hand and two hours, displaying all his nature in one drawing. The man was very pleased. I fill up the tattoos completely different, someone comes with a ready-made sketch, someone with an idea. I can portray any of my picture in the form of a tattoo. So, for example, the man first bought Angelina Jolie in the image of a jellyfish-horseman with snakes instead of hair, and then decided to transfer it to his body.

I keep work here - in the workshop. They, as a rule, do not linger, someone came to tattoch, saw and immediately bought it. Stalin was offered to buy for 50 thousand, I refused, as I keep it for a future exhibition.

Now I am working on the cycle "If famous people had tattoos ...". Everything will be there. I already have Stalin with Lenin, on the way Mao Zedong with a Lenin tattoo on his shoulder. There will also be Hitler, Franklin. You can move away from politics, portray actors, musicians, various prominent figures who left their mark in history. It is clear that there are dissatisfied. But there are always independent people.

After the refusal to accept my work at the local level, a wave of the Internet went on, the hostess of the Berlin Gallery contacted me and offered her site

This series of paintings was already offered to be put up in Berlin. After the refusal to accept my work at the local level, a wave on the Internet went, the hostess of the Berlin gallery contacted me and offered her site. She is the artistic director of the German community of artists, and praised my work.

In 2015, I already set my work in Germany. Then it was the Munich Tattoo Convention. My brother and I won several victories at once. At the same time, they did not initially count on any specific result. They just did their job, but turned out to be the best. Almost no one in Europe works in color and does not depict realism, basically hit an abstraction. We introduced two backs, mirrored in each other. They decided to realize this idea with his brother, since we are twins are a reflection of each other. The main drawing is a dragon, I really love Japanese themes in tattoos. There is also a carp as a symbol of success. Now we continue to finish off other drawings on our hands, we also do everything mirror. I stuff my brother - he is me.

- One local quite famous journalist called your work "pictures" and "uniform bad taste." He was supported by many in the local creative community, some even said that you were a "city crazy" and not an artist at all. How do you perceive such criticism?

- Everyone has the right to their opinion. They discuss me - already good. I’ll say I don’t know who these people are. And they know me, and this cannot but rejoice. Let them think that I am a jester of pea, it is only good for me. The pendulum is swinging, and where it is pushed - left or right - it does not matter. Time will tell who was right.