The Mural Painting of the Arava House
Artist Rustam QBic has painted a mural painting around the entire building of the Arava House in Nikkilä (Pohjoinen koulutie 1). The wall painting was completed in September 2017 as a part of the UPEA17 (literally “Fantastic 17” in English) City Art Event. The UPEA17 event gathered top notch Finnish and International artisti to paint building walls and public spaces all over Finland.
The highly appreciated and renowed, world travelling artist Rustam QBic is best known for his work within the field of urban arts. In his art, QBic combines modern street art and traditional methods in a very subtle way. He especially emphasizes the narrative approach and harmony of colour, planning in advance his works with piety and harmony with the surroundings. QBic draws inspiration especially from nature, literature and people close to him. His somewhat fable like works feature imaginary personalities and dreamlike places that are appreciated all over the world. QBic’s works can be seen for instance in Russia, Switzerland, the USA and Australia.
Interview with the Artist: ”This work demands me to forget my own laziness”
Rustam QBic is the artist, who’s work encircle the entire so called Arava House in Nikkilä.
Where are You from?
Russia, Kazan.
Why did You begin painting mural art?
I enjoyed art and drawing already as a child, so I went to art school. I hade friends who made graffiti art. I tried to do the same with them, but because of my background in the art school, I wanted to go beyond graffiti art. I experienced with different kinds of styles and ended up with big mural works.
So this is not graffiti?
Today it is difficult to say what is graffiti and what is murals. Many graffiti artists also paint murals, they paint creatures and situations. It si difficult to say where the line goes between graffiti and murals. I think both styles can be called street art.
What is the hardest part, when You paint a wall or a building?
The most difficult thing is beginning. You have a huge empty wall in front of you. This demands concentration. It demands that I forget that I am lazy. It may turn out to be difficult to finish a work, because maybe you already have your return tickets in your pocket, so the work has to be complete in a defined time frame. That is the hardes thing about this work. The process of painting itself is not that difficult I do what I can and I do it well. I have a lot of experience. I know what to do and how much time it takes.
What were Your first thoughts when You heard about this mission and saw this house?
I was thinking what I should do with the windows and the balconies. I prefer painting on a solid wall, with no windows. The first thing I thought about was what I should paint between the windows.
Was Your childhood home artistic?
My family was very ordinary. My mother is an economist, my father a construction worker. Both were very good at drawing. But during Soviet times it was difficult to study arty. People were not free to decide about their futures themselves.
How have passers-by commented on Your mural work?
Most people say “Thank you, it is beautiful.”
Nothing negative?
Never.