Costa Gorel:
“As an artist,
I engage in a dialogue with
the Renaissance”
This is the first in a series of interviews we are planning to take with captivating contemporary artists, dealers, curators, critics, and collectors.
Some of the interviewees may end up taking part in one of our future residencies but the main goal of these conversations is to get to know artists up close and personal and find out more about people shaping the present-day art scene.
For this first installment, we have talked with a young artist who goes by the pseudonym Costa Gorel.
Some of the interviewees may end up taking part in one of our future residencies but the main goal of these conversations is to get to know artists up close and personal and find out more about people shaping the present-day art scene.
For this first installment, we have talked with a young artist who goes by the pseudonym Costa Gorel.
Costa Gorel
May 21, 2024
Natalia Rubina
CMO DOM Art Residence
DOM: Could you please speak about your childhood? Has your family had an influence on what you do today?
Costa: Art was always a big part of our family’s life; it was something we took for granted. As a child, it was Maria Callas’s records that my parents put on for me instead of nursery rhymes. We always had books on art, monographs, and exhibition catalogs at home. The Mona Lisa, Lady with an Ermine, and the Ghent Altarpiece, works by the likes of Dürer, Egon Schiele, and Oskar Kokoschka; these were the things I was used to seeing from a young age.
I was only three or four years old when I was first taken to a museum. It was a Matisse show. I can still remember his larger-than-life paintings Dance and Music. We often went to museums and theaters. My family would support my every hobby or passion. Once we went to watch a ballet and I was so impressed by what I saw that I decided I would stage a ballet of my own at home. And my entire family danced for me obligingly for the whole three evenings before we had an opening night.
DOM: Did you draw or paint when you were a kid?
Costa: I tried to. But it didn’t come to much. I was the kind of boy who didn’t stick to anything for long. I got tired quickly of whatever I was doing and went on to the next thing.
I enjoyed watching, contemplating, and listening but I hardly ever thought of myself as a creator.
I thought I’d become a doctor, probably a cardiologist, because I was a human anatomy buff. It was actually scary, no doubt about that, but it also seemed so enigmatic and alluring that I couldn’t stop reading all those encyclopedias, looking at pictures of organs, and studying how muscles function. But then again, it was no more than a child’s curiosity. As a matter of fact, I can’t stand the sight of blood so becoming a real doctor was never an option for me.
Costa: Art was always a big part of our family’s life; it was something we took for granted. As a child, it was Maria Callas’s records that my parents put on for me instead of nursery rhymes. We always had books on art, monographs, and exhibition catalogs at home. The Mona Lisa, Lady with an Ermine, and the Ghent Altarpiece, works by the likes of Dürer, Egon Schiele, and Oskar Kokoschka; these were the things I was used to seeing from a young age.
I was only three or four years old when I was first taken to a museum. It was a Matisse show. I can still remember his larger-than-life paintings Dance and Music. We often went to museums and theaters. My family would support my every hobby or passion. Once we went to watch a ballet and I was so impressed by what I saw that I decided I would stage a ballet of my own at home. And my entire family danced for me obligingly for the whole three evenings before we had an opening night.
DOM: Did you draw or paint when you were a kid?
Costa: I tried to. But it didn’t come to much. I was the kind of boy who didn’t stick to anything for long. I got tired quickly of whatever I was doing and went on to the next thing.
I enjoyed watching, contemplating, and listening but I hardly ever thought of myself as a creator.
I thought I’d become a doctor, probably a cardiologist, because I was a human anatomy buff. It was actually scary, no doubt about that, but it also seemed so enigmatic and alluring that I couldn’t stop reading all those encyclopedias, looking at pictures of organs, and studying how muscles function. But then again, it was no more than a child’s curiosity. As a matter of fact, I can’t stand the sight of blood so becoming a real doctor was never an option for me.
I took up painting in earnest after picking up an injury: drawing was a way for me to speed up my recovery.
DOM: So where did you eventually study?
Costa: In high school, I was really interested in word formation and syntax. I found it super fascinating. I thought I would become a philologist, journalist, or writer, i.e. someone who would work with words in one way or another. But in the end, I entered a film school. After all, literature and directing go hand in hand. While still in college, I began working in television and cinema. Mostly as an assistant director, set designer, and costume designer.
DOM: When did painting come into the picture?
Costa: It all started with newspaper illustrations. But it was more of a hobby and a nice extra income, a welcome addition to my fees as a journalist. Later on, I did a lot of drawing for shoots.
While in high school, I also enrolled for classes at the School of Young Journalists where I wrote articles for several newspapers. An editor at one of the papers I worked for asked me to think up some pictures that would go with an article. I said I could draw something. I began drawing illustrations, and I got paid a little bit more. Then a friend of mine asked me to draw his portrait. In college, as I mentioned before, I worked as a props designer, which also involved drawing.
I took up painting in earnest after picking up an injury: drawing was a way for me to speed up my recovery. That’s when I started painting with oils. At first, I painted landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. I painted everything I saw, and it gave me satisfaction; it felt like a pleasant retreat.
Costa: In high school, I was really interested in word formation and syntax. I found it super fascinating. I thought I would become a philologist, journalist, or writer, i.e. someone who would work with words in one way or another. But in the end, I entered a film school. After all, literature and directing go hand in hand. While still in college, I began working in television and cinema. Mostly as an assistant director, set designer, and costume designer.
DOM: When did painting come into the picture?
Costa: It all started with newspaper illustrations. But it was more of a hobby and a nice extra income, a welcome addition to my fees as a journalist. Later on, I did a lot of drawing for shoots.
While in high school, I also enrolled for classes at the School of Young Journalists where I wrote articles for several newspapers. An editor at one of the papers I worked for asked me to think up some pictures that would go with an article. I said I could draw something. I began drawing illustrations, and I got paid a little bit more. Then a friend of mine asked me to draw his portrait. In college, as I mentioned before, I worked as a props designer, which also involved drawing.
I took up painting in earnest after picking up an injury: drawing was a way for me to speed up my recovery. That’s when I started painting with oils. At first, I painted landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. I painted everything I saw, and it gave me satisfaction; it felt like a pleasant retreat.
DOM: A lot of people enjoy drawing and painting, but few succeed in launching a career as an artist. How did it work out for you?
Costa: It kind of came out of the blue. I started an Instagram account, posting my paintings. And one day, I received a message from a French magazine (I believe it was called Circle Foundation) inviting me to an artist residency to make watercolors for them. Naturally, I said yes. I went there and created a series of watercolors for this magazine. Not only did they publish my pictures but they also held an exhibition in Paris, and then another one in Lyon. Later, I was invited again to take part in a competition and make an oil painting. My painting was awarded second prize.
Winning a prize boosted my self-confidence. What mattered the most for me, and still does, is to keep painting and do it with sincerity. I developed a more consistent approach to painting and devised my first oil technique. By the way, I was inspired by watercolors for transparency and undulation when painting with oils. Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums; I think it’s the most challenging and demanding one, but it only makes working with it even more interesting.
Of course, I had a lot of support from my parents.
My dad was my first serious patron; he commissioned me to paint a big canvas.
And he paid me for it, too. It was really nice of him.
Dad took my endeavors seriously and gave me a huge adjustable oak easel; it was big enough for me to paint really large paintings – up to two meters tall.
I painted several oils, one of which – a still life with pears – was bought by a woman just about an hour after I finished it. She saw the painting on Instagram and said she wanted to buy it. Back then, I had no idea how you price your works, which I readily confessed to. The painting measured 1.2 by 1.4 meters; I knew how much paint I had used to make it, so I calculated the cost of the paint to determine the price. I didn't really count in the time I spent working as it only took me a couple of evenings to paint it. Anyway, I sold the painting and I thought it was great!
Those early successes gave me a lot of motivation. I spent more and more time painting and adopted a more strategic approach to my social media accounts; people from all over the world began inviting me to take part in exhibitions and buying my paintings, and so it went from there.
And then COVID-19 hit. For many, lockdown was a tragedy, but for me, it was a blessing – I could stay at home and paint all day long.
Costa: It kind of came out of the blue. I started an Instagram account, posting my paintings. And one day, I received a message from a French magazine (I believe it was called Circle Foundation) inviting me to an artist residency to make watercolors for them. Naturally, I said yes. I went there and created a series of watercolors for this magazine. Not only did they publish my pictures but they also held an exhibition in Paris, and then another one in Lyon. Later, I was invited again to take part in a competition and make an oil painting. My painting was awarded second prize.
Winning a prize boosted my self-confidence. What mattered the most for me, and still does, is to keep painting and do it with sincerity. I developed a more consistent approach to painting and devised my first oil technique. By the way, I was inspired by watercolors for transparency and undulation when painting with oils. Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums; I think it’s the most challenging and demanding one, but it only makes working with it even more interesting.
Of course, I had a lot of support from my parents.
My dad was my first serious patron; he commissioned me to paint a big canvas.
And he paid me for it, too. It was really nice of him.
Dad took my endeavors seriously and gave me a huge adjustable oak easel; it was big enough for me to paint really large paintings – up to two meters tall.
I painted several oils, one of which – a still life with pears – was bought by a woman just about an hour after I finished it. She saw the painting on Instagram and said she wanted to buy it. Back then, I had no idea how you price your works, which I readily confessed to. The painting measured 1.2 by 1.4 meters; I knew how much paint I had used to make it, so I calculated the cost of the paint to determine the price. I didn't really count in the time I spent working as it only took me a couple of evenings to paint it. Anyway, I sold the painting and I thought it was great!
Those early successes gave me a lot of motivation. I spent more and more time painting and adopted a more strategic approach to my social media accounts; people from all over the world began inviting me to take part in exhibitions and buying my paintings, and so it went from there.
And then COVID-19 hit. For many, lockdown was a tragedy, but for me, it was a blessing – I could stay at home and paint all day long.
My dad was my first serious patron; he commissioned me to paint a big canvas.
And he paid me for it, too. It was really nice of him.
DOM: And how did you end up in Spain?
Costa: I took part in a few exhibitions in different countries. Instagram brought in a lot of buyers and offers from galleries. Once, they invited me to take part in a show at a gallery in New York.
There, I made friends with a guy from Austria, who was organizing an arts festival in Vienna; and they took some of my works, too. I didn’t become a popular artist, not yet, but I did get some visibility.
Around that time, the Dr. Robot Gallery opened in Spain. In 2022, the gallery invited me to participate in the Art Madrid Fair. My wife Yulia and I were in Vienna back then. We traveled from Vienna to Spain… and decided to stay here. After my first Art Madrid, I was approached by more potential buyers from Portugal and Spain. And I realized that it would be easier for me to make and sell paintings if I lived in Spain. And the Dr. Robot Gallery gave me a studio to work and live in.
Costa: I took part in a few exhibitions in different countries. Instagram brought in a lot of buyers and offers from galleries. Once, they invited me to take part in a show at a gallery in New York.
There, I made friends with a guy from Austria, who was organizing an arts festival in Vienna; and they took some of my works, too. I didn’t become a popular artist, not yet, but I did get some visibility.
Around that time, the Dr. Robot Gallery opened in Spain. In 2022, the gallery invited me to participate in the Art Madrid Fair. My wife Yulia and I were in Vienna back then. We traveled from Vienna to Spain… and decided to stay here. After my first Art Madrid, I was approached by more potential buyers from Portugal and Spain. And I realized that it would be easier for me to make and sell paintings if I lived in Spain. And the Dr. Robot Gallery gave me a studio to work and live in.
DOM: How did you arrive at your present-day style?
To me, it looks like a fusion of Art Nouveau, Baroque, queer aesthetics, and interior design. How would you describe it yourself?
Costa: I’ve never believed in adhering to a certain style while making art. But, at some point, I saw things I hadn't noticed before. For example, that Gothic art is so serene and welcoming.
By the way, this is what Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame is all about – anyone can find shelter there, there’s enough place for all the outcasts. Baroque, in contrast, seems to keep pushing you away despite being superficially attractive. Here, you can clearly see the barriers. It keeps you at a distance. Sometimes it shows bad taste correlating with everything that is alienated, marginal, and discarded. So, for me, it is a combination of Baroque, kitsch, and queer art. I don’t think I can quite put my finger on the style I work in. For me, it's something on the borderline between many things, something that defies description.
.
To me, it looks like a fusion of Art Nouveau, Baroque, queer aesthetics, and interior design. How would you describe it yourself?
Costa: I’ve never believed in adhering to a certain style while making art. But, at some point, I saw things I hadn't noticed before. For example, that Gothic art is so serene and welcoming.
By the way, this is what Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame is all about – anyone can find shelter there, there’s enough place for all the outcasts. Baroque, in contrast, seems to keep pushing you away despite being superficially attractive. Here, you can clearly see the barriers. It keeps you at a distance. Sometimes it shows bad taste correlating with everything that is alienated, marginal, and discarded. So, for me, it is a combination of Baroque, kitsch, and queer art. I don’t think I can quite put my finger on the style I work in. For me, it's something on the borderline between many things, something that defies description.
.
My persona is looking for his place in this world.
He is sometimes vulnerable, sometimes invulnerable. Sometimes seemingly smart, sometimes foolish. I wouldn’t say that this is 100 percent me. But this is, no doubt, a sort of self-portrait.
DOM: There is definitely a persona in your works. Is it you? Who is this?
Costa: His name is Orlando; he is a character inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel of the same name but transplanted to the present day with the memory of past centuries behind him. My persona is looking for his place in this world.
He is sometimes vulnerable, sometimes invulnerable. Sometimes seemingly smart, sometimes foolish. I wouldn’t say that this is 100 percent me. But this is, no doubt, a sort of self-portrait. Depicting a version of myself helps me better convey ambiance and emotions. And this is something I learned from the German Renaissance artists such as Dürer. For me, it's a kind of conversation I carry on with these traditions.
When I say that “as an artist, I engage in a dialogue with the Renaissance” I mean that this is the way I express myself being inspired by this period.
DOM: We’ve been talking a lot about the Renaissance and Baroque. But what do you think the makings of a contemporary artist are?
Costa: I think a contemporary artist is someone who lives here and now, exploring and capturing reality through their art. The big thing is to be true to yourself and your vision no matter what. And to be sincere and honest in what you do.
Costa: His name is Orlando; he is a character inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel of the same name but transplanted to the present day with the memory of past centuries behind him. My persona is looking for his place in this world.
He is sometimes vulnerable, sometimes invulnerable. Sometimes seemingly smart, sometimes foolish. I wouldn’t say that this is 100 percent me. But this is, no doubt, a sort of self-portrait. Depicting a version of myself helps me better convey ambiance and emotions. And this is something I learned from the German Renaissance artists such as Dürer. For me, it's a kind of conversation I carry on with these traditions.
When I say that “as an artist, I engage in a dialogue with the Renaissance” I mean that this is the way I express myself being inspired by this period.
DOM: We’ve been talking a lot about the Renaissance and Baroque. But what do you think the makings of a contemporary artist are?
Costa: I think a contemporary artist is someone who lives here and now, exploring and capturing reality through their art. The big thing is to be true to yourself and your vision no matter what. And to be sincere and honest in what you do.
I think a contemporary artist is someone who lives here and now, exploring and capturing reality through their art. The big thing is to be true to yourself and your vision no matter what. And to be sincere and honest in what you do.