Interview with Nik O Nik

E:Nik, you might be the one and only representative of the queer scene in Tbilisi art scene. Do you consider yourself as such?

N:No, I don't consider myself as representing any scene at all.

I don't agree with the fact of marking one's practice with a one particular subject, as I believe it only damages the work. It always feels as if the work needs to be legitimized and there-for its marked as a representative of a particular scene, movement etc. I think its always a self-defensive act.

E:Do you know any other artist from Georgia, who works on the same subject as you?

N:mm no I don't.

E:What is your relationship with the subject matter?

After your 'star figure' series, gay pornography series lasts for a longer period. It is also immense in its form, covering drawing, sculpture, film and fashion design.

N:  I like the fact that this is another adventure in a very real fantasy, where each new crossover is a step into the unexpected, giving birth to something new. I guess, everything can be considered as pornography in its own way...

It's interesting to work with this imagery. Its the new constellations that interests me.

E:You often use the banned symbols, such as Swastikas. What is your relationship with Nazi and Neo Nazi movements?

N:My interest towards Nazi and Neo-Nazi movements is purely in the visual representation. Be it pornography or Nazi imagery, these are ideas of brutalism and sexuality that I find interesting working with.

I like the idea of borrowing, I like working with found material.

As you know, the Nazi symbolism is also borrowed from ancient cultures, where Swastika represented the sun. Same happens with the Christian symbolism. For instance, the symbol of a cross first represented violence, as it was the tool for torture. I think that none of them carry the same meaning; I no longer see them as the tools of power.

E:How did living in Georgia influence your interests?

N:I don't thing that geographic territory determines one's influences, but of course, it might as well be possible.

E:As in many other post-Soviet countries, in Georgia too the LGBTQI politics have strongly changed and degraded since its early Soviet vision. How does the politics affect you both a as a citizen and as an artist?

N:I really don't think that being a citizen of any country determines anything, expect for some bureaucratic bullshit.