SOFIA LIPSKEROVA ART IS MY ESCAPE ROOM
I would like to say that art chose me, but I was actually drawn to art myself.
My name is Sofia Lipskerova, and I am nineteen years old. I was born in Russia but moved to Germany at the age of eight for three years. Then, at the age of fourteen, I moved to the UK to study GCSEs and A-levels and now BA.
I would like to say that art chose me, but I was actually drawn to art myself. I was significantly influenced by my surroundings growing up into a family of artists and creative people.
At the beginning of the 1880s, my ancestor, Abraham Lipskerov, was a publisher of the popular newspaper “News of the Day.” His children and their children were either writers, poets, photographers, or cartoon makers. Hence, I thought to myself that perhaps I might be able to follow my family’s wonderful path of creativity.
Art has occupied me for as long as I remember. Starting with coloring books and modeling sketchbooks, I have now settled on fine art.
The only thing that could comfort me on a rainy day is, indeed, art.
My head is constantly buzzing with millions of ideas that could be expressed on a piece of a medium. Whenever I enter the magical world of art, I cherish the sensation of losing track of time. I was able to convince my dad that art is my treasured, lifelong passion, and I would do anything to make a living off of what I so strongly love, even though I had not had a chance to appropriately study art back then. When I was twelve years old, I had my first working experience with a famous Russian artist and sculptor, Aidan Salakhova. At those times, she had a wonderful studio in “Vinzavod,” at the center for contemporary arts in Moscow, Russia, where she worked on her projects and had university students come by to work alongside her. This voluntary desire of mine to learn from her provided me with vast experience and education and allowed me to feel that wonderful creative atmosphere. I practiced various techniques and was supervised by Aidan when working on my projects.
Before A-levels, I was involved in a workshop with another Russian artist – Svetlana Rumak – who introduced me to her technique and helped me find my own style. Without a doubt, her input in my artistic life was enormous. In 2020 (at the age of eighteen), I was accepted at the University of Arts London, where it absolutely wasn’t easy to get. But despite that, I have received my offer right in the office.
Little did I know that I will face a horrible period (Coronavirus), in which my final exams would be canceled, and my college would completely lock me inside for straight two months until I could fly out of the country. Of course, it wasn’t easy not be able to go outside, but it allowed me to focus on my art as I got so much time for myself. This is where I stepped onto the new level of my own creativity, targeting the highest goals that an artist could possibly get.