It has been three years since the moment when the first personal exhibition of Saratov artist Alfia Ponomarenko took place in Monaco. And at the end of 2009 in Monaco, in Monte-Carlo, her next opening day took place.
- How long did it take you to prepare for the exhibition and how many works were exhibited there?
- I had been preparing it for all the three years. I had only 24 works remained from the previous exhibition in Monaco. And I presented 58 canvases at the new one. Hence, I painted 34 pictures for the new exhibition. When I say that I work 16 hours a day, French people are very much surprised. It is not easy really. I never come to the easel if I am not in the corresponding mood. And in fact, despite preparing for the exhibition I earned money for living painting portraits and flowers to orders.
- How did you transport canvases to Monaco? Who helped you to pack them?
- My husband assisted me. We thought up how to pack the pictures for the first exhibition. We made huge bags, each bag could contain 2 men. The bags had foam rubber linings to prevent the frames from breaking. I always order frames for my paintings at ArtMaster by Sergey P. Skidanov. We have been friends for many years. Unfortunately, the paintings are not to be sent by mail. All the departure documents were executed at customs in Moscow. Special labels Handle with care were attached to the bags at the airport, we handed them in the luggage because we could not take them to the plane with us for they were oversized. It took us 3.5 hours to fly from Moscow to Nice, everything was delivered safely.
- You arrived to Monte-Carlo in a week before the exhibition opening. How much time did it take you to prepare the exposition? Who helped you to hang the paintings?
- My official representative in France Elena Abashkina helped me. It took us half a day to do everything, and we went to the restaurant. There is nothing impossible for Russian people.
- How many people were there at the exhibition opening?
- I didnt count, but I think there were more than 100 visitors. The exhibition took place at Meson de la Latin in two rather small halls connected by a gallery, so it was rather narrow there. The Frenchmen were so much pleased with my attempt to speak their native language, even with mistakes. The main thing for me was being understood. Certainly, I prepared the speech for the exhibition opening beforehand. I wanted it to sound beautiful, so I asked Elena Abashkina to interpret my speech. And I communicated with all the customers, visitors and officials by myself, because I had been trying to improve my French for 3 years. But Lena certainly helped me because there were a lot of people there.
- Which officials were there at the opening?
- Unfortunately, the Prince of Monaco was away at the moment, he didnt attend the exhibition, but his representatives were there. There were also the representatives of the Molinari company dealing with jewelry, and the representatives of local expensive hotels which wished to exhibit my pictures in their hotels in the future. There were many people of quality. Many visitors of my exhibition of 2006 attended the opening of this one too. A nice lady who had bought two pictures with irises at the previous exhibition, bought two more canvases with the flowers at this exhibition. It pleased me so much. She told me that she had been brought to France as a little girl, and she had the Russian origin. It is obviously very interesting for the Russian emigrants offsprings whose parents left Russia during the revolution in 1917 to attend an exhibition of a Russian artist. On the first day of the exhibition they bought 4 pictures, then two more, and two more. The exhibition of a local artist from Monaco had been held before my exhibition. He sold only one picture at the exhibition, and I sold eight of them.
The English offered me to make the next exhibition in London. The Frenchmen offered me two more exhibitions: in Monaco and in Nice. The question is under consideration. I dont know when the following exhibition will take place, but I know where: on the square of three fountains in Monte-Carlo, at the Sporting gallery where various important actions usually take place. It will be one of such actions with the VIPs. Perhaps, I shall have time to paint some new works to that moment to bring them there. The countess of Monaco, the offspring of the ancient family, ordered me her portrait. She wanted to have her portrait painted by my hand having seen the portrait of Princess Grace at the exhibition.
- Why is Princess Grace so sad in your picture? And why did you place this picture to the poster of the exhibition?
- I have learned about princess much more than magazines and books tell us. Perhaps, therefore she turned out to be so sad in my canvas. I know her life, I know what it was like for her to be a Princess I know whom she loved, whom she didnt love. Which one of the high-ranking women was very much happy on the Earth? They were for some short moments, maybe God loves the Trinity. I painted the portraits of husband and son. So I should have painted the portrait of the wife, mother, who had so early and tragically passed away. Moreover, she was such a beauty. And eventually, I am a woman, too. Everyone liked the vivid eyes of Princess Grace, the quality of art, the way I had painted the organza and embroidery. They said, it was the best portrait of the Princess.
- How did you spend your spare time after the exhibition?
- I visited museums and walked in the park beside the castle. The castle is closed now, the tourists are allowed only in summer. I went to the sea, though I wasnt brave enough to swim. I was alone. If there had been some friend with me, I would have swum, no doubt. Though only ice-swimmers and the Russians swim in Monaco in that season. But on the 19th of November I sunbathed on the balcony. It was very warm.
- Well, and what about the other kind of weather in Monaco? Did you feel the crisis?
- There were less people in the streets than in 2006. Usually many tourists come to Monaco for the New Year. Many local residents sold their villas.
- Who bought them?
- They say, the Russians buy up everything. I even met a friend from Russia in Monaco. The Russians are everywhere. There are great 50-70% discounts at the shops, I have never seen any such discounts in Monaco. At charity auctions men of means gather money for children in the countries which are in the state of war. But this year the amounts are much less than even in 2008. Many people cancel the existing arrangements. It is easier to lose the advance payment than the entire amount. Only building construction is going on. And everything blossoms and smells the same. But this time I didnt go to the casino because of the economic reasons.
- When will the residents of Saratov be able to see your exhibition?
- I do not know. Monaco has not let me off yet... I said goodbye to the hospitable small country, thanked Monte-Carlo where I had been so wonderfully welcomed, because in fact two personal exhibitions abroad are so great for a provincial artist. They have improved my self-rating. You know, staying at home you will never know what you cost. But later, when the exhibition was over, I met the honorary consul of Monaco Clod Pallanka, and he offered me to arrange the next exhibition in the Sporting gallery. That is why I dont find it reasonable to bring the pictures back to Saratov and arrange an exhibition here and then take the pictures back to Monaco, Monte-Carlo. It is even physically hard to execute the departure documents. What is the sense to transport the cargo to and fro?
- You said that this year is the year of Russia in Nice. How can people feel it? In which way is it manifested?
- There are fur-trees covered with foam rubber snow everywhere. In the middle of the square there is a big fur-tree decorated with lights and toys, and there is an artificial fur forest around it. There is also a model of an orthodox cathedral on the square in front of which everyone takes pictures. The cathedral is twice as high as a mans height. There are huge Russian matryoshkas higher than a man next to it. Tourists take photos hugging them. I was walking among the artificial fur-trees, missing winter. At night when I was leaving France, it started snowing in Nice. At 1 a.m. I was watching it being sorry that the snow would melt till the morning, and no one would see it. But it was safe in the yards till the morning, and children and young people played snowballs in the morning, had fun, took pictures and shouted in delight. In the morning the emergency vehicles were buzzing all around the town. Obviously some homeless people got frozen, though local emergency services give them warm blankets and sleeping bags. They get free food twice a day. Social services work very well here. The south of France is a wonderful place, but there are homeless people even here.
- When will you go to London?
- We shall live and see. I still have Monaco on the agenda.
- And what about Moscow?
- I had an exhibition in Moscow in March, 2004, in the -88 gallery. I have not been able to reach the capital with the exhibition since that time. I shall come back from France and see. An exhibition is a very responsible thing which cannot be arranged in a hurry, especially in Moscow. It takes me half a year to create some pictures. I need inspiration to make a philosophic work. It demands more time than flowers.
