NEJI201: ‘Perhaps, I will be the person who organises it’

“I want Rhombus to develop communication between artists”

Nailya, tell us what you have been up to lately?

Art and design, I used to be an architect. Last summer I created a mobile, nomadic space Rhombus. It can be called an exhibition space and an institution at the same time. In terms of its functionality, it is, of course, more like the latter, the project promotes art, unites people and does not sell works. This is my experimental supervisory project, and I am the only participant in its team, but sometimes I invite people to join the team.

Rhombus has had two exhibitions.

There was the first Rhombus with 8:30exhibition in a rented garage on 62, Amirkhana Avenue. I did it with my own funds, invited specialists to help, closer to the opening of the exhibition I received approval for financial support from ES Gallery and help with organising the opening of the exhibition from the coffee chain Cofix. The second exhibition, held in the 10th bathhouse, called 5:55 was organised differently, even more experimentally. Here the team consisted of two people, at first I started doing everything alone, you could say, I did the work of five people, later Vera Trakhtenberg joined the project, who supported this initiative, worked with me on the text.

Since I myself have been engaged in art for many years and understand artists well, because I am an artist myself, Rhombus becomes a place that responds to the needs of artists, solves some problems, resembles an open community, to which you can always write. For example, this happened with us with one author, he wrote a letter and suggested an idea that we can do within the framework of the project. For a month now we have been working with him on a new project, which I can’t tell you about yet. We work as self-organised artists and authors.

I want Rhombus to develop communication between artists, cities, because, as it seems to me, artists really lack this, they need like-minded people, but it is not always easy to find them.

At the same time, the open call was conducted in such a way that the application for it was simplified in some ways. For example, it was not necessary to send the artist's documents, portfolio and CV, it was necessary to write your opinion on the question: “What colour is Dante's rose?” and attach photos of the works. I know that sometimes it is difficult for authors to collect all this in PDF, and sometimes interesting ideas and works can be lost.

And how many applications came in?

136 applications from all over Russia, this, I think, is a lot for the first open call. I had a curatorial concept, the exhibition was also supposed to exist separately, in a box, which could then be implemented in another space. You can imagine how the cubes from the box spill out, and projections of the works from them appear on the walls. I responded to everyone who wrote to Rhombus. Because I know: it's not very pleasant when you send an application, which usually takes quite a long time, and you just don't get a response. Here, everyone received a response. Some responded positively, some with threats: like, if you send me another refusal, I'll block you.

It seems to me that the participating artists became friends, learned about each other, perhaps this exhibition will find a new embodiment in another form.

“These are those who don't really like contemporary art”

We wrote in detail about the second exhibition, the bathhouse one, unlike the first, garage one. So, you came up with it before the garage?

Yes, when I went to the tenth bathhouse with a friend. Because our grandfathers went there. My grandfather Rafael Ilyasov is a cultural figure, you know him. I knew that he went there every week, I decided to check how it was. When I came to the bathhouse, I realised how unusual this space was, I immediately started imagining an exhibition there, I thought wow, the light here is better than in most exhibition spaces. This place is as if torn out of time, similar to life, and at the same time terribly calm. I thought about it for a whole year, came there. By the way, when I showed the announcement to that friend, she thought that I still wouldn’t do it and joked about her.

How did you mount the works?

I tried to negotiate with the bathhouse. The workers initially supported the idea, because I told them that I was an artist, showed them my works, even the certificate of the Creative Union of Artists. I was unable to get in touch with the director, one worker wanted to help me, she disappeared. As a result, it turned out to be an intervention exhibition with elements of a happening. Before the final installation, we made photo documentation, came for several days, filmed in such a way as not to disturb people. And then an hour before the opening, the authors came with instructions on where everything should be.

At the opening of the exhibition, the bathhouse workers chased me away, I had to go outside and coordinate everyone from there, that is, to some extent, the exhibition began without a supervisor. Then the bathhouse managers contacted us, realised that the money for the tickets was going to them, and calmed down.

How do you separate the work of a designer and an artist?

I separate it very well, although it was difficult at the beginning. There is a big plus in the fact that I can lead projects and organise all processes. I know how production, drawings, materials are arranged, I can be responsible for any processes. This exhibition showed that I can make a really big and quite complex exhibition with just one person.

Do the people who work with you as a designer know that you are an artist?

Some people perceive it positively: wow, cool, such a versatile person, knows so much, can do so many things. And some are scared by it, but these are more likely those who do not like contemporary art very much. For them, it is something scary, dangerous. When I worked in Rotterdam, my boss, architect Maurice Nio was not only an architect but also wrote books, taught at the university, made installations and built factories. I also worked for the Korean experimentalist Moon Hoon who combined architecture and art. For many, this is still more of a plus than a minus.

“It is interesting to leave for a short time”

And in these works, you do not put a pseudonym?

Yes, I generally use two names everywhere: Nailya Ayzatullova, NEJI201, in life I use, it seems, even more. I didn’t come up with a pseudonym in order not to use a name. I just wanted to create a pseudonym that reflects me as an artist conceptually.

You obviously created a platform due to the lack of other platforms you needed.

In principle, over the past five years, everything has gotten much better. But artists always lack support, financial, moral, they are very scattered.

Is it possible to make it so that in the works of a Kazan artist it is felt that he is from Kazan, that he is a Tatar, for example?

It seems to me that the most important thing is for it to be sincere. Very often they begin to emphasise this for the sake of some goals. Although in fact the author may not have works with a deep understanding of culture, it is not interesting to him at all. I know that sometimes authors take their works created about something else and attach a text to them saying that it is about Kazan and Tatar.

Do you have any constant point of inspiration in Kazan?

I can say that I am constantly inspired by Kazan, because I still live here. I currently have many things in development related to Tatar design, accessories and furniture. On the other hand, creators think globally, not just locally. The coolest thing is to mix and experiment, mix the experience of previous generations with your own experience. But, I repeat, the main thing is that it is sincere.

And you are not going to leave?

It is interesting to leave for a short time. For example, I have just entered an art residence in Lipetsk, I think ten people were selected out of 250. This is a study of the city, contexts, and an exhibition will eventually appear. This will be my third residency. Such events are very necessary for cities and authors, it's great that there are more of them.

But do Kazan artists also communicate?

Yes, they do. Of course, you always want more. I am always open to guests in my studio, it would be great to have some kind of workshop format in the city, like it happens with artists of past generations, only in a more modern form. Probably, for this to appear, we need a leader who is ready to do this. Perhaps I will be the person who organizes it, because in architecture I wrote my diploma on the topic of art residences. I need more accomplices.

Four works by NEJI201 with comments

The exhibits of the exhibition 8:30in the garage on 62, Amirkhana Avenue unite the works of eight authors. The centre of the project is the study of the problem of violence, madness and aggression, their constant and inevitable cyclicality and the hope that we continue to experience, hoping for the triumph of compassion and mercy.

The sculpture was created on 2 January 2025, a small burn from it is healing to this day. My practice is characterised by the theme of metamorphosis and fluidity. Concept, material, disciplines, methods — I like to mix all approaches into something new, considering all from different angles. Now, in addition to painting, I am focused on creating new objects/sculptures using deconstructive practices of burning and melting.

I recall a scene from the film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's main novel. And you recall a scene from the film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's main novel.