You’ve seen her photographs in the salon, now it’s time to meet the lady behind the lens in our regular Hair&Art exhibition interview. We wanted to know what inspires Julija, why London is so great right now and what’s next for this fantastic photographer…

In a world that is overfamiliar with digital manipulation and the transformation of an image via filters and apps, Julija Svetlova’s photographs offer a refreshing return to the artisanal and unique qualities of film in a pixel filled world.

Describe your work in 3 words… 

Colourful, playful, intriguing.

 Tell us something about yourself that we might not already know…

I speak 4 languages and London is the sixth place I have been living in (after stints in Klaipeda, St Petersburg and Cape Town among others)!

What is your favourite view of London? 

High tide on the river Thames as seen from Wapping.

In your opinion what is the most iconic London structure you have photographed? 

Bing Ben and London Eye I suppose. But I like to go for the more obscure symbols as well, such as pigeons and street art…

What’s it like having your first solo exhibition in the Kaizo salon?

East London is all about mixed purpose spaces, so I am glad that people who normally wouldn’t go to an art gallery for one reason or another are able to see my work.

 What feelings do you hope people take away with them after seeing your work?

Curiosity and love for colours.

Favourite photographer? 

Sarah Moon and Paolo Roversi are the first one who came to mind.

How would you describe your look? 

Natural and chic 🙂

Have you picked up any hair tips from the Kaizo team since the show opened?

Yuka made me curls once, something I was dreaming about since I was a child but never thought was possible…

Any haircuts that you regret? 

Lots! Used to dye my hair black when I was younger and also go for crazy asymmetric short hair cuts which didn’t suit me at all!

What’s next for you after the exhibition closes on 10 May? 

I will have another exhibition at Victualler, one of the London’s best natural and organic wine bars, here in Wapping where I live. And then hopefully in autumn I will present my new project at some exciting exhibition space.

We look forward to seeing it! Julija’s ‘London Exposed’ exhibition runs until 10 May 2014.

One look at Anna Rootes is all you need to tell she’s an artist.  It’s not just the remnants of paint on her hands, and sometimes clothes; it’s everything.  The mish mash of rings adorning her fingers, the long, bright blonde hair with black streaks peaking beneath, the flashes of tattoos, brightly coloured clothes, and 9 times out of 10 the lashings of leopard print!

This is the first inkling you get into the kind of work she produces.  And her bedroom is another clue – every surface is crammed with studded skulls, fake birds, bursting moleskin notebooks, sculptures, religious iconography (the Hindu god Ganesh is a particular favourite), trinkets, and yet more leopard print.  As she explains it, ‘I know what I like and if I like it, it goes up.  I have to be surrounded by colour.’

Her work is not quite as OTT but it is BOLD, and it is BEAUTIFUL.

She works in any material she can find.  Household paint scrapped onto canvas using a palette knife, photo transfer, oil, acrylic, sequins, glitter, gold leaf, and illustration.  All her pieces hero the hand of the artist; this is about as far away from photorealism as you can get.  As she puts it, this is what gives the pieces ‘energy, spontaneity, and personality; it’s what makes them truly unique.  Five artists can paint the same scene but it’s when they put their own spin on it, add their own style that makes it really special.’

Anna’s interested in the relationship between art and wellbeing (her ultimate goal is to be an art therapist), and believes her subconscious is a big driver of the type of work she creates.  When pushed on where she gets her inspiration she can’t tell me. ‘I just know what I’m going to paint but I couldn’t tell you why.  It’s instinct, it’s my subconscious.  My work is a direct reaction to my life.’

Anna exhibits ‘Venture Far’ at Kaizo from Fri 3 May – Sat 4 June. It’s a collection of  energetic statement pieces in bright hues, a hyper-real world full of beautiful exotic animals. But don’t worry there’s no leopard print in sight!

This is her 2^nd solo art exhibition and with never having had any formal art training she already has an impressive portfolio – 2 Olympic commissions, lots of group shows – local and places like Manchester and Birmingham  – murals (from the stunning peacock in Stoke Newington’s Coffee Bean to a school wall covered in a montage of fairytales), lots of community art projects, and private commissions.

If you’re still not convinced check out some more of her work here.

See you at the preview on Friday 3 May, 7pm onwards.

Words Robyn Walker