Artist in conversation: Eleonora Islamova

Eleonora Islamova is a self-taught artist. She creates mixed media works that depict an imaginary world featuring two lead characters Sam and Lily.  In her work she intends to focus on subjects such as mental health, basics of happiness, kindness and hope. Growing up in Kazakhstan (Central Asia), studying in Dubai (East) and living in London (West) for four years, had a significant impact on her worldview about core human values. Works presented here make part of the “Childhood” series she created in 2021. The work uses naïve symbolism to express deep philosophies by illustrating various episodes from the imaginary life of Sam and Lily. 

Web: https://elisla.com/

Social: https://www.instagram.com/illustorm/

- Welcome to The Holy Art. Could you tell us a little more about your background, and how did you begin creating art?

Thank you for the warm welcome. I was born in Kazakhstan, but had spent half of my adult life living abroad. Being exposed to multiple cultural experiences shaped my worldview and perception of humanity as being a single organism manifested in a great variability through the lives of people. I feel blessed that I was given a chance to form great friendships with folks from every continent of the planet and every single one of them became not only a friend, but also a teacher. I always knew I wanted to be an artist, but couldn’t figure out what medium would suit me the most. So a friend of mine, a photography student, I believe out of some divine impulse bought me my first set of acrylic paints and a small canvas. I tried it. I loved it and I never stopped painting ever since.

- What art do you most identify with?

I want to name a few paintings that I feel respond strongest to my artistic identity. “The last day of Pompeii” is one.  When I saw it for the first time, I was only a kid, but I remember how tragic yet beautiful it appeared to me. It made me realize what power a true masterpiece can possess and that art speaks through emotion and beauty. The second painting is a “Girl with a Pearl Earring”. I don’t personally know that girl, but when I look into her eyes it feels as if she knows me and is about to tell me something I want to hear. That gave me an understanding that true art is able to turn something general into personal and relevant. Lastly, any painting by Van Gogh. I love how honest and brave his works are.  To me, an artist carries a responsibility to remain loyal to his/her artistic path without trying to fit in or please anybody. It’s difficult, but also liberating. To sum up, I’d like to identify with art that is honest, emotional, beautiful and personal.

- Can you describe one artwork or series from your oeuvre that you feel was pivotal in your career? 

I don’t think I’ve reached that point yet. I think it takes years, if not decades, to create something like that. But I know that if I stay consistent, willing and hardworking I will get there. The goal is to create a work of art that will have a power to inspire, move and bring positivity to people of every background, culture and status.

- Which other great artists inspire you and why?

Apart from Van Gogh, I love works by Hayao Miyazaki. I love how the philosophy of his world is communicated through the experience of a child. It shows how often adults underestimate the wisdom and the power of children. In my current work series “Childhood Revisited” I tried to dive into that state of mind (of a kid) and allocate those resources within a grown individual. Resources that children happen to have an easy access to: dreaminess, playfulness, hopefulness, emotional intensity and pure happiness. I think it’s important, as an adult, to remember that we all were children once and that child within needs to be respected and highly regarded. To me – that is a key to happiness.        

- Can you talk about the process of creating your work?

There has to be music. I put some neo classical playlist on and it sets me in the right mood: concentrated creativity, a kind of meditative state. As a result, work comes together almost intuitively. I am a playful person, so I try to have that side of me reflected in the work. Last, but not least - achieving the right color, shape and compositional balance is also a crucial part of the process.  

- What advice would you give to emerging artists entering the art world?

I would like to wish every emerging artist out there to never feel fully satisfied with work that they create, at least for a good half of their career. I wish them to feel a need for constant growth and improvement. To me perfection is death. I hope I won’t get there, myself, for a very long time.   

- What do you hope that the public takes away from your art?

Through work that I create I really hope to infuse the public with some sense of cheerfulness, hopefulness and lightness. A meaningful and deep idea doesn’t have to be heavy, complicated and punch one in the face, it can also be easy and pleasing. Like, how can one make the world a better place? Figuring that out is too complicated and hard, but one can easily make his/her own little world better by treating him/herself with love and respect, and also those close to him/her. I believe that a person who strives to become rich and famous (a typical success dream), in fact deep within only wants to feel secure, appreciated and loved. Through my work I want to communicate that happiness is a basic need, it comes from within and it is achievable through simple practices like laughing with friends, eating good food, helping others in need, dancing, running etc…     

- What is your dream project?

I would like to create a work that depicts global acts of kindness. Like I said, I really see humanity as one and being able to demonstrate in a single work (or series) that we all have a capacity within to treat each other with kindness and respect would make my dream come true.   

-  Finally, are there any projects you are currently working on and able to speak about?

My next set of works is dedicated to dance. I see dance as a link between humans of past, present and future. It is also one universal language between people of all kinds of cultural backgrounds. Like for example Tango. I always thought of it as a dance that has Spanish roots, when in fact it comes from South America and was invented by immigrants (former slaves, poor people), who perhaps through dance were able to communicate with each other without knowing foreign languages. Tango has African and Cuban roots with elements of Walts and Polka dances. That tells you a lot about human nature and our need to communicate and enjoy each other’s company.