REAL LIFE
THIS man
makes
amazing
sculptures
from scrap
metal.
28
opl ’s
cra
Taking
Other
V
LADIMIRKANONIKis a
craftsmanoriginally
fromthecityofManipal
intheMinskregion
inBelaruswhomakestheseartworksfrom
piecesofscrapmetal,bolts,screw-nutsand
otherconstructionmaterials.
Thecraftsmangotinvolvedinthisa number
ofyearsagoasa part-timehobbybuthas
nowturnedsomethingthatwasinitiallya
pastimeintoa full-timejob,creatingthe
unusualpiecesofarttoorder.
ManyofVladimir’ssculpture aremadefrom
technicalrepairwaste,
andsometimesreflect
theoriginsofthescrap
metalofwhichthey’re
composed,withthe
oneofthegirlwitha
petrolpumphaving
come together from
junk leftover while
building an actual
petrol station in the
Minsk region.
Other spectacular
creations include a
warrior, a humanoid robot, a huge catfish
and a bison. Vladimir says that he creates
the sculptures together with a team that
includes his son, and that his art it sold
mostly within his homeland. When it comes
to sending his work abroad, things just get a
little too complicated.
“For this you have to deal with marketing,
find a manager and producer for yourself,
which is for me too expensive,” he says.
Which is a pity, considering just how
much more he could make from an
international market. Describing a trip toGermanyVladimirsays:“I metwithlocal
craftsmenwhoturnedouttohaveRussian
descendants.WhenI showedthempicsof
myworksonmyphonetheysaidthatthe
made-of-metalPegasusthatI createdwould
bewortharound€150 000 (R2.4-million)in
theircountry.I soldit foronly€15 000 (R240
000)inBelarus.”
Thecraftsmanaddshewassadthatthistype
ofartis notsupportedmuchinhiscountry
byanystateschemessuchasthoseinthe
Netherlands.
“OnceI spokewithcraftsmenfromthe
Netherlandswhotold
methatif anartistsells
hisworkfor,let’ssay
£1 000
(R19400),thenthestate
provideshimwiththe
sameamountontop.
This is because their
state and people there
are more sensitive to
the need to support
creativity, while it has
almost no interest in our
country.”
Fortunately though, according to Vladimir,
his focus on clients in Belarus may change in
the future as he was recently contacted by a
German businessman from Dortmund who
offered him an interesting project.
“This man somewhere saw a robot that I
made from old cars. He wanted something
similar but with different dimensions. Since
he sells heavy cars, he wants me to put a
metal hulk together that is about 20 metres
high. In the spring we agreed to meet and
discuss all the details. If we agree, I will visit
him with the whole team.”Ladyonroller
skatesMermaidSOURCE: MAGAZINE FEATUTRES
THE ART OF
PEOPLE there are
more sensitive to
the need to support
creativity, while it has
almost no interest in
our country.