Portrait #10: the Art of Solar Symbols: A Conversation with Kahr ⬛️🟦

May 06, 2024

Hello mas_mejor_menos_peor, could you tell us more about the person behind this pseudonym? And about the choice of this pseudonym?

My main nickname is Kahr. I'm from Moscow, Russia. I have been making mosaics since 2021. I also make stickers, graphics and write poetry. An engineer by training, I work in equipment sales. I also love cycling, rock climbing and basketball.

“Mas major menos peor” is a Spanish saying that I really liked when I was learning this language and decided to make it my motto.

What was your first contact with urban art? What did you want to get involved in it?

I have always liked art, both street and non-street. I equally love the graffiti and avant-garde paintings in the museum. I especially like Soviet mosaics, there are a lot of them in the post-Soviet space. They usually depicted collective farmers and astronauts. This probably influenced my choice of the form of street art. I wanted to do something similar, not in content, but in execution.

And yes, the most important thing - the mosaic looks very beautiful when it shimmers in the sun).

If you had to define your style in 3 words, what would they be?

Solar symbol. Pattern. Dark aesthetic.

Can you tell us more about your creative process?

I sketch on my phone program on the morning of a hangover on the way to work, it helps me take my mind off the misery. And then I glue the mosaic in my free time while walking.

What are your main sources of inspiration?

Genetically laid down by my ancestors native images in my head that arise when I experience the death of my mind.

What is the ideal spot for you to stick your works?

As the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky said: “Art should not be concentrated in dead temples-museums, but everywhere: on the streets, on trams, in factories, in workshops and in workers' apartments.”

By the way, I'm also not against museums, I took part in 3 exhibitions, this is also an interesting experience.

Can you tell us about your first mosaic (from idea to installation)?

I made a mushroom from Mario, I just liked this game as a child and I decided to test the technology on this image.

Which cities and countries have you invaded?

Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Yaroslavl

Belarus: Minsk, Vitebsk, Mogilev, Grodno

Do you have an idea of how many mosaics you have installed?

Maybe 100 or so

What is your favorite mosaic?

Mosaic with a fly. My friend Nadine Hypsoline and I made a piece of jewelry based on it.

Do you have a bad experience to tell us about?

Probably not, the process of making a sketch and the mosaic itself is already a kind of meditation. Even when I cut myself with a knife in the process, it gives me some emotions that distract me from everyday life.

What are your artistic projects and desires for this year?

I have one large piece of work that has been lying around for half a year and I can't choose a place for it, I hope this year I'll be able to stick it up.