'I want my workshop to be magical: a place full of charm, art, tranquillity and a good atmosphere'

Her artistic vision oozes originality and identity. Her manner is as determined as it is sensitive. Svetlana Kalachnik has just moved her painting and printmaking studio to the Victoria district. And she has given soul to a space that few would have imagined such a metamorphosis. The place has an overwhelming personality and will continue to offer classes as a space of creation. She wants her studio to act as the origin of an educational movement around printmaking. She hopes that SK ART workshops will take root in the area and serve, in some way, to inspire an artistic neighbourhood. The studio opened its doors to SUR under the watchful eyes of Manu and Manuela, Kalachnik's husband and daughter respectively.

-How did you start painting?

-I was five years old. My mother noticed that I was usually very lively and restless but I calmed down a lot when I started to paint. Time would stop and I would spend many hours at it. She wanted to focus my energy on art from the very beginning. She was right. After finishing school I continued studying at an art school in my hometown (Voronez, Russia) for five years and then I went to the Academy of Fine Arts. Since then I have never stopped painting.

-Did art have anything to do with your arrival in Malaga?

-It's been 26 years now... I brought the art with me and, in turn, I discovered that Malaga is full of art, so I fit in easily.

-What do you remember of the Malaga you arrived in (in 1999) on an artistic level?

-It was amazing. They took me straight off the plane to see a flamenco concert. And to eat ham. It was a wonderful impact beyond the anecdote. I felt the need to stay. And, obviously, since then, many things have been incorporated to Malaga's art scene.

-What does Malaga represent for you?

-Everything. It is a city full of light, good people... My family is here. The beaches, the food, the wine, the art, the flamenco, the incredible streets and corners...

-You have just embellished the garage door next to your workshop with a painting of the Cathedral...

-I would like to do more projects like this if the opportunity arises.

-Feeling settled in the Victoria area?

-Yes, you get used to the good stuff quickly.

-You have recently moved your operations centre from Soho to Calle Paco Miranda, what do you propose for the new venture?

-I intend to consolidate a cultural space, to make small exhibitions in keeping with the space, with what my students create. It is also my place of work. I want it to have magic, to be a place with a lot of charm, with a lot of art, with tranquillity and a good atmosphere. It gives me great joy when my students later exhibit their work independently.

-You also have a lot of awareness of the neighbourhood, of trying to contribute to the environment with your studio and workshop...

-Yes, exactly. We have an ecological workshop. We recycle paper and I make my prints, without using any acid. We also do oil paintings without solvents, only with oils. The engraving I do is mezzotint, in black, which is done entirely by hand. Incisions are made in a metal plate with special tools. The spaces are removed by hand. Like I said, without a drop of acid. Children, for example, use quality recycled paper, so it's much better for their health as well.

-Have you achieved you masterpiece or are you self-critical?

-No, no. What artist could possibly think he has come up with that? Noone. When you're in the process of painting, you often feel that it's the best of your life. And when you finish, you always see a lot of room for improvement. The best is always yet to come. This is the essence of the artistic process and what drives you to create more and more. It's a kind of addiction that, in the end, leads you to improve your work thanks to that restlessness that doesn't allow you to stop. You always know you can do better.

-Of all your work, are there any particularly significant -artistically or otherwise?

-I keep my engravings because I find their finish incredible. The mezzotint finish seems like one of the most perfect in the whole world. It is also very special because the machine is made by my husband, Manu, it took him a year to make it. It is a very large machine and it produces things that I am passionate about.

-You have spent many years with your studio in the Alameda de Colón. Do you agree with this vision that is being installed that Malaga is already too overcrowded, tourism, rising prices, has the centre become hostile for the Malagueño?

-It is a very good thing that tourists come to Malaga. Everyone is welcome. In any case, I hope that things will change, that there will be much more artistic commitment. It's true that everything has distanced itself a little from the people of Malaga, from the locals, but I think that this is going to be corrected.

-How do you see the city's cultural policies?

-More attention should be paid to microculture. The cultural essence of Malaga has to return.

-What are your next plans?

-I have just exhibited in Barcelona. I've been doing it for several years in Taiwan and Denmark. Now my project is to exhibit at the Galería Benedito, in the heart of the historic centre here in Malaga. It has just been refurbished and they have invited me to exhibit. I'm also heading to London, I'll give more details soon.

-You made a picture book with a story El Gato, el Ratón y la Pequeña Manuela (Azimut). Will there be more?

-Illustration is a very important part of my life and I will continue. In fact, I'm working on a second book at the moment. It's not going to be a story, it's going to be something much more well-rounded and interesting...

-Have you ever felt strange in Malaga because you are from abroad?

-Not at all. From the very first moment, I have been very well accepted. The people are very open and welcoming. I feel privileged. I am bringing two cultures together. I'm lucky enough to add my own Russian culture to what I've absorbed from here. And I bring that fusion into my art and people love it. That's why I feel I have an advantage.

-You paint few landscapes. But which corner of Malaga would you immortalise? .

-The Baños del Carmen. And, in fact, I'm planning to paint several works of sunsets and lots of people eating, you can't miss that.