VICTOR TIMOFEEV
by maxluvero
Victor Timofeev
Is a skateboarder and artist born In Latvia 21 years ago.
He's been
skating Brooklyn and Manhattan for 8 years but he had a two years stop
after a major accident that forced him to bed while facing problems with
his ankles and legs. In these two years of Isolation he developd his own
art which consists In drawings that have been exposed In Chelsea
galleries. Now he's back skating and keeps drawing while promoting his
prints. He also plays and he's trying to record his own music. I met
Victor at ALT cafč In East Village, NYC and he Introduced me to his art
and I was fascinated by his need to express himself so that I decided
not to Interview him but let him speak In complete freedom. I found In
him the same vitality and power that only artists coming from the street
can have. I never met Basquiat or Haring but I Imagine them like
Timofeev, a wild river of youth, drama, excitement, need of
self-expression, need to communicate, energy.
Visit his
site
http://www.victortimofeev.com and buy his prints which are 11X14 on
very good quality glossy paper and can be mailed anywhere and
everywhere.
ABOUT
SKATING AND ART
Skateboarders are taught to think outside
the norm of reality from their first very first push down the street.
Where the masses see stairs, ledges, and ditches, skateboarders see
obstacles worth hours of fun. There is a reason that many skateboarders
excel in creative outlets and hobbies such as the art and music world,
and that is their process of thought – their use of ordinary, mundane
objects in novel ways in order to create an entire world of their own.
This relationship between skateboarding and art has bred many cult heros
now visible in the mainstream, people such as Spine Jonze, Mark
Gonzalez, Tommy Guerrero, who are all rooted in skateboarding and went
on to become world acclaimed directors, artists, and musicians,
respectively.
Having skated for 9 years, I have developed
quite an intimate relationship with my skateboard. So when I developed
plantar fascitiis in the summer of ’03, I was heartbroken, depressed and
lonely all at the same time. This condition meant that I wouldn’t be
able to skate, run and jump, for an indefinite amount of time, possible
my entire remaining life. The plantar fascia tissue covering my
unusually high arches was scarred on both legs, meaning that my heels
were full of scar tissue and didn’t offer me any padding. Instead of
endlessly moping about my pains, I decided to pour my time and creative
juices into a healthy new hobby – drawing. It wasn’t hard to think of
imagery to draw; in fact, often times it felt as if the images were just
flowing out of my veins and all I was doing was providing a blank paper
for them find a niche on.
ABOUT
DRAWINGS
I like to create a first person perspective
with my work, allowing the viewer to embody my work, my limbs and my
thoughts simply by looking at the piece. I do this by extending the
human body from reality into my work, creating a transition in which the
viewers’ hands become one with my hands and the viewers’ minds can read
my thoughts. This explains the wide presence of hands in work. I also
find them to be the most expressive limb on the human body - any human
emotion can become tangible and physical with a few hand powerful hand
gestures.
I also find that writing down a lot of my
thoughts right when they are sparked helps lift some weight off my
shoulders. Eliminating punctuation and spacing creates a constant stream
of mental energy on paper. I have learned to manipulate this text into
multiple layers and colors, successfully creating color gradients and
unique shading patterns. When you need to lift some weight off your
shoulders and vent your mind, turn to the paper and pen. The paper
always listens.
ABOUT
GROWING UP BEING A STRANGER AND SELF ESTEEM
I
came to America in 1996, and my knowledge of the English language was
limited to lessons I took in Latvia, which although talk me proper
grammar and spelling, failed to teach me confidence and the ability to
hold a normal conversation. My classmates found my lack of understanding
of American culture and language amusing, as they often made fun at me
for it. Slowly, this disintegrated my self esteem. Although, with time I
learned the ‘ins and outs’ of the English language, this inferiority
complex has stayed in my system and rears its ugly head on a regular
basis up to this day. Perhaps this is why my ambitions are so high –
subconsciously, I’m only trying to prove to myself and the world, that I
am indeed worth something.
ABOUT THE EAST
COAST AND THE WEST COAST SKATING SCENES
Even though on a simple level, both
represent skateboarding at its finest, the east and west coasts have
many crucial differences that stem from their origins. The west coasts
claims credit for the birth and sprawl of skateboarding, with the Z-boys
glamorizing it and bringing it into the mainstream. Perhaps that set up
the tone for the future – glamour and cutthroat tricks on the west, and
most reserved, stylish skating on the east. Gnarly handrails and huge
gaps and stairs dominate the west coast- the bigger, the better is the
usual motto. Style and poise take a backseat to balls and gnar, and
respect is earned by throwing yourself off a huge set of stairs. On the
east coast, you will find the elitist, snobbish types, the ones who are
often too cool to get dirty. A simple, stylish push down the street will
be more revered than any handrail trick. The ultimate skateboarder
should possess qualities of both – the balls of the west coast and the
eloquence of the east.
ABOUT
ART GALLERIES IN MANHATTAN
There
is a cloud of pretense and elitism surrounding most of the galleries I
have visited in Manhattan. This view might be limited to myself, but
many of my peers have expressed similar feelings when attending openings
around Chelsea and Soho. From snobby curators to sub-par work that is
praised as the next big thing, the white wall atmosphere gives off an
unwelcoming and superior vibe. My preferred environment is located
around Williamsburg, Brooklyn and East Village locations. Small lounges
and clubs hold shows with the ‘by the people, for the people’ feeling
and a lot of more camaraderie is present. Being involved in the second
warm and friendly world would be ideal. However, young artists strive to
have their work highly valued and priced, and the first elitist world is
the more likely place for this to occur. Fact is, deep pocketed art
collectors visit the white walled Chelsea locations more often and tend
to invest in work approved by the ‘higher authority’, consisting of art
dealers and curators working exclusively in that environment. The
solution is to find a perfect balance between the two worlds and coexist
– bring the warm solidarity to the white walls.
ABOUT
PLAYING MUSIC
Music is huge part of my artistic release.
Just like putting pen to paper lifts weight off my shoulders, picking up
a guitar and playing melodies helps me vent in the same way. There is
something inexplicable about soothing blue notes fretted on a ’72
Rickenbacker that nothing else can even come close to. Best of all, it
is a great tool to tell stories to the world. Where sketches and
paintings fall short, the right music can shine through and move a
person to the verge of tears. Combined, music and creative art can
create a tangible force capable moving minds as well as bodies.
I hope you enjoyed this trip in Timofeev
world and I will be back soon with more from our Zoomanity!!!
Keep your mind working…
Max Luvero
VICTOR TIMOFEEV
