Deep-dive into the Bratislavian Artist Sandra Salamonova and the influence of her origins on her artistic Career through the interview questions made by the Kooness Team.
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Kooness: Where are you from and how does that affect your work?
Sandra Salamonova: I am from Central Europe and this certainly gives me a “special touch” to her viewing the world. I come from an artistic family, as my parents were graphic designer parents. This affected the direction of my whole life, however I decided not to study art explicitly. Studying art wasn’t advised nor seen in a good way within my family. In my family, the passion towards collecting art was very intense, as well as to reprocess and keep the family heritage. Nevertheless, I was always surrounded by photographs, pieces of paper, chemicals, wood and unexpected visits popping in. This was the beginning.
K: Describe how art is important to society
SS: Generally, art is with us from the beginning of time and will be as long as humanity lives on the planet. The question is very complex. From a psychological point of view, (as I am originally a psychologist), it is a form of catharsis although a source of wealth for certain category of people and also a tool to make surroundings friendlier. We can’t escape art - it is a matter of having a vision of the world based on art influences. People who say they have no affinity to art still attempt to reach art surroundings. In this changing world art is changing as well, the 21st Century as well as the pandemic period brought new technical tools and approaches, as well as values and ways of envisioning art. This era stretches the clash between the “old and new world”, raising a genuine query; who will win?
K: What motivates you to create?
SS: Creativity itself is a very complicated “terminus technicus” – technical term - and motivation is a wonder on its own as it often comes and goes in waves rather than being a day-to-day process. Depending on everyday situations, motivation are moments of being in the right place and at the right time. Also, a part of the motivation happens when a watcher or a stranger can see as well as share the artist’s perspective. The best result being when the buyer is willing to pay for it. Overall, the main motivation is to be aware, look at your surroundings and present a visual representation of the world to make the artwork more unique.
K: What is your favourite medium?
SS: Photography is a medium that captures the moment. A tool appreciated and valued by art lovers and collectors often used as a tool in the different branches of the arts industry, such as fashion and advertisement. Then, another medium I deeply love is paper and its results on photography and fine art paper, mainly in limited editions. This results very good looking on the wall when properly adjusted.
K: What are your favourite and least favourite parts of professional art?
SS: The favorite part is when the right moment is here – to take the picture, be in the proper situation and see it already framed on the wall, even if it is too early on this stage. The least favorite is the prickle, if the printing company will keep the agreed date.
K: What are your ultimate career goals?
SS: Probably just like every artist, that people around me enjoy my work as well as buy it. However, my biggest goal would be to connect with an international house, editor or auction house to promote art with traditional values from this part of the world.
K: Who are your biggest artistic influences?
SS: Artist which have a special liking for simplicity, abstract, monochrome, acronyms, therefore artists like Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and from the Slovak artists Rudolf Fila.
K: Thank you so Much Sandra for your time and for opening up to us about your artistic goals, influences and motivators. It has been a real pleasure!
Cover image: Sandra Salamonova. NYNY, 2018. Courtesy of Salamon Art
Written by: Kooness
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