Interview with Liza Shkirando
Liza Shkirando is a Swedish-Russian painter, visual artist, and researcher. Her work, grounded in academic research and phenomenology, explores identity, paradox, and cultural binaries. Experiences with art censorship on social media have inspired her to develop various artistic and research-based projects which challenge our concepts of “Transgression” and test the algorithm. Embracing the transgressive and the queer, she uses her body as a central medium to communicate complex ideas and challenge societal norms.
How would you describe yourself and what your work consists of?
My art reflects my lived experiences, exploring identity, justice, paradoxes, and binaries. It visualizes my journey through cultures, politics, sexuality, and gender. It embraces the transgressive, queer, and anarchist as a moving vision of utopia, while mourning the lost culture I grew up in. I work primarily in oil painting and video performance.
How did you first become interested in studying "transgressive" art?
I've always been convinced that art should raise questions. I guess it's my personality that drove me towards transgressive visual expression. But mainly it's social processes, politics and personal experiences that made me "scream on top of my lungs". Transgressive art is interesting as a concept itself. Today with the rise of online censorship and self-censorship it becomes more and more controversial.
What role can academia and research play in our understanding of how art operates in our contemporary world?
I would like us to rephrase this question. I see a disconnection between academia and the art world, while both being elitist and exclusive in their own ways. I wish there was no gatekeeping between art and academia and instead striving for democratization of both. What I am trying to do is to blur borders between the two.
When you think of "self censorship", what comes to mind? To what degree do you experience "self censorship"?
First of all it's socio-political context. I am lucky to live in the part of the world where I can speak freely, while in the country I was born in I could never be able to do what I do. A lot of russian artists have to self-censor their art even if they live abroad simply in fear for the well-being of their families. And in general, what is okay in one part of the world is not okay in the other. Another big part of self censorship is of course social media when you have to think twice before posting your art. Once upon a time Instagram used to be a democratic online museum, nowadays it's a highly censored space with vague non-transparent decision making. And last but not least is the actual audience response and the dilemma of trigger warnings.
What are the implications of censorship and self-censorship for society? Which societies should we be concerned with when we discuss censorship?
There are different aspects depending on the society and culture. However, I see it as we should always be critical of the established norms, that's the only way to move forward. I can't show my art in Russia where I am from but I am trying to speak up as much as I can from Europe. State censorship is the biggest obstacle and the most dangerous one. I believe, we as artists should resist censorship from lower levels so that it doesn't infiltrate on a more global level.
How has your work as an academic and an artist changed as you experiment and study censorship and transgressive art?
Academic background helps me formulate concepts and research questions regarding these concepts. My art practice is always based on experimentation and questioning. When I create a series of artworks, they form a conceptual project that explores a specific topic.
How do you think artists could contribute to a more accepting and enlightened art world?
Unfortunately artists are highly dependent on societal structures and trends. Capitalism turns art into industry. Not all artists are supposed to be activists but I believe all artists can do something to create a more open, inclusive art world without gatekeeping and conservative values such as a requirement of higher education. Education is not accessible to all artists and it shouldn't be a pre-requirement to be called an artist. Artists of different backgrounds should support each other and keep questioning the existing status quo.
Liza is represented in the DDA Gallery of Art Censored Online