Nína
Ivanova

During this time, we were always looking for a great place to settle down. We wanted to have a beautiful, safe home surrounded with cultural ambitions, and no eruptions, thanks. All of a sudden, we found Ísafjörður, where we had always traveled through. We suddenly wanted to live here. We live with free will here, we are not from here, we chose this place. We bought an old house and it took the time to repair it. We are still changing it.

But now, there's one thing that matters to me—the myth about the poor artists who create most when they suffer—this is a fabrication. In my life, when I got at last a safe place and could spread out my watercolors and all the paper and got some financial security, I started to create like never before. Now we can talk about art.

What is it like to work with art in such a small place?
I am often asked how I can change from working in a rich cultural environment in Russia and Europe, to working in a small fishermen's town. The thing is, I'm already far into my art development, what I'm doing is inside my head. What I need is space, my private room, and my head, to be at peace from unnecessary worries. If the cake may burn in the oven, I just skip the baking. This is my approach to art. I'm an introvert, I work best when I'm alone in the world and this is the perfect situation for me. I do not have to lock the doors, I do not have to think about the end of the world right now. There is no such thing here.

What is your inspiration, what is your ideal or philosophy in relation to your art?
Many things have changed since I started my art career. In Germany, I made much more conceptual art. The content is basically the same. I have a message, theme, or problem that I want to express in the language of the installations and objects. Before I went into conceptual style, I was learning to work with classical watercolor. That medium allows you only to do things here and now, without a possibility to rethink or correct them later. Russian culture is very much connected to thoughts, reflections, and language. Everything you do is a reason to interpret, discuss and explain. I just wanted to get out of it. I know I can think, I just want to let all this big collection of knowledge flow out on paper and express itself. Watercolor is the best medium for it.

How is your artistic creation process like?
Now I have finally come up with this wonderful studio, with great light and lots of space. I work best with music I know, ABBA, Queen, video games soundtracks and Russian music. I dance a little first—all sorts of flowing lines are an extension of movement in the hands. I dance when no one is around. Maybe I just come home, the weather is great, the colors are beautiful. I've read a good book and maybe done as little as possible. Then I'm ready.

There is a lot of pre-processing before I start to work on the paper. Once it starts, the process flowing from planning to letting go, to let the watercolors do their thing. I try to make content of the future picture very simple. Sometimes it is about how to make orange more orange. Sometimes it is to prolong a beautiful moment I have seen.

I have a theme now: it is mosaic. It is not just the look of a mosaic, but also the idea of it. Life is based on all kinds of events, days and emotions. It's often the good, bad, sad and joyful that come together, and this is what I do with my images, a kind of mosaic. There is often a great conversation in colors, say orange and green, I play with them, they are characters, I let them talk to each other, sometimes they are arguing, falling in love and sometimes they go their separate ways. I talk to my pictures while I paint. This is my description of my mosaic.

What do you do when it is hard to find inspiration?
I often use music. Sometimes I just start by re-arranging tools on the table. While I look at the different pencils, I get ideas. I look at a color box and see colors that are rarely used. I take a challenge to use those colors and then something happens. I stop thinking and then it happens. I stopped trying to be creative - I'm just making a picture ;)

How would you describe the art scene here in Ísafjörður or the Westfjords as a whole?
When I first came here, most of the work was done around music. But now in recent years, art has begun to develop much more widely, many younger people have entered into the arts. Visual art has come a long way.

How do you see your future and the future of the Westfjords?
I like this place, Westfjords, and Ísafjörður, this is a place that will exist for a very long time. I do not see that this is falling apart. I see a great future and potential here in many areas, the art culture has become a very important part here. People are very receptive. During Covid, people so often stay at home, but visual images can open up new worlds.

There are many possibilities for the Westfjords and innovation. For example, seeing that everyone is at home and on Facebook all the time, we opened an art market on Facebook where people could offer their drawings, prints, and paintings that cost no more than 50,000 ISK (330 €) for sale. It was an experiment for me, a way to learn more about the Icelandic art market. People were actually offended by how little some works cost. I sell many works cheaply to people who have a lot of faith in me but cannot buy expensive works. These are prizes for people who appreciate my artwork. Everything on the market will be at a discount, I promise. Most people found this market game incredibly fun. This is art, it does not have to be expensive, it does not have to be big.