Ivan Arkhipov ARTICUL CTION A C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t R e v i e w Special Issue participative effort, and especially to question the nature of the act of looking itself: Scottish artist Peter Doig once remarked that even the most realistic work of arts are derived more from within the head than from what's out there in front of us, how do you consider the relationship between reality and imagination, playing within your artistic production? Ivan Arkhipov: They are connected as I’ve said earlier, and for me (and not only as an artist) it is all about balance. You are an established artist, and over the years your works have been exhibited in many occasions, both in Russia and abroad: how do you consider the nature of your relationship — especially in public spaces — with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to online platforms — as Instagram — increases, how would in your opinion change therelationship with a globalised audience? Ivan Arkhipov: The speed of Information flow is very high nowadays and virtual communication is dynamically increasing. I would say that it rises the value of live communication, especially for last couple of years during the pandemic times. People yearn for reality. Instagram would never take a place of it, but this platform now tends to connect an artist with its audience from all the world. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkhipov__ivan Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Ivan. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving? Ivan Arkhipov: Thank you for your interest. This year I am preparing an exhibition,