Welcome to our Artist Spotlight Series, where over the coming weeks we’ll introduce you to our Inaugural Cohort of the seven artists who call the Arts Gowanus studios at The Shop BK home. In this series, you’ll get to see not only their work, but also hear how these artists made their way here. As stewards of a thriving arts community, Arts Gowanus supports, promotes, and advocates for creators in the heart of Brooklyn. Through this series, we aim to shine a light on the creative energy flowing through Gowanus from people to places, and the processes that make this neighborhood special – starting first with Viktoriya Basina.

Viktoriya Basina was born in the USSR but was fortunate to live, study, work, and create in different places around the world. She received an MFA in Painting in Moscow and in 2017 made a move to Brooklyn. Viktoriya has a studio arts practice and actively exhibits her artwork, as well as creates murals and public art mosaics and large scale scenery for television and film.

Viktoriya’s artwork can be found in private and municipal collections in Europe, Canada, USA, Central, and South America. Her public artwork can be seen in Russia, Mexico, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ask Viktoriya Basina some questions about her process and work, read on for the full exchange:

How did you find your way into your practice? Was there a moment when you knew this was it?

I studied painting for seven years at the Moscow State Arts Academy but I was always interested in other mediums so in my spare time I explored mosaics, vitreous enamel, and glass.  I started creating my mixed media works when I was still in school and developed my personal style over time. I also developed a unique artistic style in which I create public art murals and mosaics.

What are you currently working on? What ideas, materials, or questions are you exploring in the studio right now?

I am working on a series of mixed media work entitled Heavenly Creatures, where I combine painting, mosaics, vitreous enamel and glass among other mediums. I create work that provokes questions of sanctity, violence, and destruction that afflict our contemporary condition. While at first seeming whimsical, humorous, and attractive, the work alludes to militarism, consumption, and culture obsessed with symbols of wealth, weapons, and entrenched gender roles.

What sparks the work? Are you finding more places, people, sounds or falling into research rabbit holes?

I am inspired by the world around me and it drives me to explore the relationship between  the individual and the collective, through confrontations found in society, origin, mythology, and metaphysics.

What tools or techniques do you keep returning to and why?

I create mixed media work with oil painting, inlaid mosaics, cement  cut sgraffito, fused glass, vitreous enamel, plaster, and fiber.  I also have a public art practice where I create large scale murals and mosaics. I use hammer and hardy for breaking stone and smalti, knippers, some power tools, a firing kiln (it is not in my studio at the Shop 😊 I love a variety of tools and techniques and am always trying something new.

What does having a subsidized studio at The Shop BK x Arts Gowanus make possible for you right now? Any unexpected collisions or conversations here that fed a piece?

Having a subsidized studio at The Shop BK is a dream come true! I always wanted to have a quiet private work space in a vibrant artist community. As a single mother in NYC it is not easy to balance all the responsibilities with creative work, community and networking.  I am super excited about being a part of Gowanus Open Studios at The Shop BK. I cannot wait to meet all different artists and art enthusiasts. Thank you The Shop BK and Arts Gowanus!!!!!!!

How do you hope people feel (or what do you hope they notice) when they encounter your work?

My work is layered with imagery, ideas, and meaning. I hope that people take the time to look closely and find something within the work that inspires them or resonates with their own ideas.

Lightning Round ⚡️

• A material you’re obsessed with right now: Ceramics

• Studio soundtrack: Philip Glass

• Favorite place within a 10-minute walk of the studio: Powerhouse Arts, Groundswell or the new park across the canal

• Coffee order (or tea): Dirty chai with oat milk

See Viktoriya Basina’s Work for Yourself

Visitors can experience the full texture of Basina’s world during Arts Gowanus Open Studios, October 18–19, at The Shop BK (420 Carroll St, Brooklyn). Her studio doors will be open, her Heavenly Creatures on view, and—if you’re lucky—a fresh mosaic mid-flight on her worktable.

To learn more or connect directly:
Website: www.basina.org
Instagram: @basinart
Email: viktoriya.basina@gmail.com