Victoria Cassinova
Visual Artist
Illustration by Victoria Cassinova for The Washington Post
Welcome to the inaugural episode of "What's the Point." A podcast where we embark on the journey to uncover the profound meaning behind artistic expression. In this debut episode, we spotlight Los Angeles-based visual artist Victoria Cassinova. From her captivating murals to her thought-provoking illustrations, Cassinova's work transcends boundaries, inviting viewers to ponder the more profound significance of creativity in our lives. Through candid conversation and introspective reflection, we delve into Cassinova's artistic process, her inspirations, her personal story, and the driving forces behind her desire to create art.
Join Shantell Martin and Victoria on this episode as they explore creativity, identity, and the enduring quest to uncover What's the Point of it all.
Read JUXTAPOZ article here
A virtual workshop with Adidas, and Black Ambition Prize, led by Victoria Cassinova on how to use art as a tool.
Click here to view the course
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Podcast interview with Michael Faith’s Art Affairs
Listen here
Read more about the story here
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English translation:
It was not a poster that was seen embellishing the sides of buses and advertising columns. The one for the new Spike Lee film, Da 5 Bloods, released directly to Netflix on June 12th, which looks back at the plight of African-American soldiers sent to fight in Vietnam. In front of a crimson background, a dark face, adorned with a military helmet, is crying tears of blood. Behind this magnificent illustration is a young 27-year-old artist, Victoria Cassinova. “I started to draw when I was around two years old,” recounts the San Diego native, now based in Los Angeles. “As a teenager, I would practice by copying photos of models in Vogue.”
After studying visual communications, this fashion enthusiast started designing t-shirts for Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. But at the age of 22, a terrible accident left her bedridden for three years. “I fell five stories while trying to get into my apartment through a window,” she says. She spent her recovery drawing. 2017 saw her recovered as requests poured in. Victoria Cassinova has drawn for Teen Vogue, has had her work exhibited in galleries in California, and has painted socially engaged murals: an homage to the poet Maya Angelou for a high school in Los Angeles and portraits of the writer James Baldwin, the representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the actor Michael B. Jordan for MLK Now, an annual event commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. “In the current political climate, it is important to appreciate the beauty of black people,” she explains, “all while being as inclusive as possible. I am myself of mixed heritage and I paint people of all colors.” She is both gracious and combative: Spike Lee made no mistake with his choice.
Read this article HERE
Read more about the Forbes interview where Shepard Fairey talks about the Artists Band Together campaign here
Valfre Girl Crush: Victoria Cassinova
by Gabi Nelson
WE GOT THE PLEASURE TO INTERVIEW LOS ANGELES BASED CONTEMPORARY ARTIST VICTORIA CASSINOVA. FROM CREATING BEAUTIFUL EXPANSIVE PIECES THAT MAKE A STATEMENT IN OUR POLITICAL WORLD TODAY TO CREATING VIRTUAL REALITIES, THIS GIRL DOES IT ALL. READ MORE BELOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT HER LATEST EXHIBITS, ADVICE SHE HAS FOR YOUNG CREATIVES, AND MORE!
Valfre: When did you start creating visual art and what medium came first?
Victoria: I started drawing when I was 2 years old, believe it or not. My mom had a note pad and gave me a pencil and I dove in and never came back.
Valfre: From creating digital art, paintings, virtual realities, illustrations AND apparel, you truly do it all. Is there a medium or creative process you love most?
Victoria: I really just love to paint and draw because the end result is something I can hold in my hands and physically touch. It’s something tangible I can leave behind.
Valfre: Your series “Monster Diary” is so wild and powerful, we love it. Tell us all about it.
Victoria: That series came from taking a long hard look in the mirror after a toxic relationship I ended, and realizing that the same monster I saw in myself was also within everyone around me. We all have an inner monster or inner child. This series is a reflection of that, as well as it being my way of making sense of my own strange human experience.
Valfre: Do you ever get creatively blocked? If so, how do you get through that?
Victoria: ALL THE TIME. My creative flow comes through my choice of thought, and my choice of mindset. I have to summon that energy by thinking “how do I want to feel as I’m creating this next piece” because the how you feel when you’re creating something will be the energy a viewer will most likely feel from it. If I’m sad or angry, I can’t create. I have to be in a peaceful state to constantly create. Mediation is something that really helps with that.
Valfre: Do you have a ritual you do before jumping into a new commission or personal work? (like lighting candles, putting on a playlist..etc?) :)
Victoria: I just tune into an energy flow through either meditation or by focusing on the feeling of what I want to express. I usually instantly get the feeling of the vision of what I want to create first. It’s all about feeling and emotion for me.
Valfre: Are there any pieces or series you’ve done so far that you're majorly proud of? And why?
Victoria: Probably my Monster Diary series and Diary series because both of those are my most vulnerable and real artworks that are naked pieces of me. They’re quite literally my visual diaries. It’s scary but also exhilarating to be open. I’m proud of that.
Valfre: How would you describe your art in 3 words?
Victoria: Raw, experimental, becoming.
Valfre: If you can collaborate with any artist who would it be and why?
Victoria: Banksy for sure. I’m drawn to artists that influence one's perspective of this world, or of life into a more expansive state of consciousness.
Valfre: What advice would you give young creatives?
Victoria: Stop worrying about if it’s good or bad or if you’ll be understood. You don’t have to be understood, and art isn’t always about how well you can draw or paint.
Valfre: Do you have any exciting plans for the future you want to share with us?
Victoria: I plan to be making a million more mistakes and growing a million more times from it.
READ ARTICLE HERE: https://valfre.com/blogs/blog/girl-crush-victoria-cassinova
Featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal for London Breed portrait comissioned by Willie Brown.