A5:RESORT is a virtual space in which we host artists and designers, inviting you to take a peek into their work. Our next guest is the graphic designer and a photographer Anisia Affek.
Hello Anisia and welcome to our Resort. What did you choose to present?
My resent project – Slavic Girls. It’s a three volume magazine that I designed and curated. The magazine deals with the gender construction of the Slavic women. Each volume presents a female character, her symbols and her role in the Slavic mythology.
The Slavic culture relies in its social structure on the mythological female figures. Therefore each magazine’s issue explores a different aspect in which the Slavic women perceive themselves and their role in our society from the early age to the modern times. Together, the three volumes create a personal statement about female identity in Eastern Europe.
The Slavic Girls magazine will be published by the Anteism publication this upcoming summer and will be available at the Anteism website: anteism.com
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Anisia, I’m a graphic designer and a photographer. I was born in Ukraine in the nineties and immigrated with my family to Israel when I was a child. During my childhood we moved a lot around Israel so the question where are you from always seems like a complicated question to me. These days I’m based in Tel Aviv.
What inspires you?
I mostly get inspired by the people I meet and their cultural identity. I usually see people around me as a huge cultural baggage, layers over layers of tradition and history. The desire to constantly peel those layers became my obsession over the years.
Tell us about a significant moment in your career/work/life
I think that one of the most significant moment of my career was just a few days ago. I traveled to NYC to meet with potential publishers for my magazine. It’s always excites me to see how people react to my work for the first time. What questions do the ask, what interests them, what surprises them.
Where can we find you?
My website: anisiaffek.com. I am also very committed to my instagram account 🙂 www.instagram.com/anisiaffek/.
What is the best place we shouldn’t miss when visiting your town?
MY town.. I’m not sure where is that. I guess that I can refer to Zaporizhia as my town, the place where I was born. It’s a small industrial town in southeastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. If by any chance you find yourself there I would strongly recommend to visit the Hortytsia island. On this island ones lived the Zaporozhian Cossacks. This was group of strong, fearless and cruel men that distanced themselves from the society. The Zaporozhian Cossacks left a profound cultural, political and military legacy on Ukraine. Those days you can find on the island the Zaporizhian Cossack Museum that includes the Cossack horse show that you absolutely must see before you die.
Who would you like us to invite to the A5 Resort?
I would say Yuli Serfaty. She is the most amazing artist based those days in London, also a good friend of mine. You should definitely check out her work.
