<p><span>In&nbsp;</span><em>Art in Self</em><span>, we speak to five creators whose art take the forefront of their self-expression. For Singapore's </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">multidisciplinary artist and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">LASALLE College of the Arts graduate Polina Korobova, the idea of "beauty" did not always come easy.&nbsp;</span></p>

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        <p><span>Russian-born and Singapore-based multidisciplinary artist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/godsavedthequeen/?hl=en">Polina Korobova</a> (otherwise known as &ldquo;Glitter Queen&rdquo; for her full-body glitter looks) is a product of Singapore&rsquo;s very own LASALLE College of the Arts. Since graduating, the artist has worked as a producer in events and advertising whilst simultaneously maintaining her career and interest in the performing arts. </span></p>
        <p><span>&ldquo;I got into performance art out of curiosity and chose it as my elective at LASALLE College of the Arts as I felt like it made sense for my practice,&rdquo; shares Korobova. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I really cared about deep diving into that world at first until I had a chance to perform for the first time.&rdquo; </span></p>
        <p><span>The performer recalls a conversation she had with her mentor, Ezzam Rahman. &ldquo;Rahman asked me about my struggles, &lsquo;What are you afraid of? What makes you uncomfortable?&rsquo; And that is how I started,&rdquo; explains the artist. &ldquo;I based my narrative around the fear of being alone and used glitter to show the suffocation that I felt when isolated.&rdquo; </span></p>
        <p><span>&ldquo;My first piece called &lsquo;PINK&rsquo; involved me smearing glitter all over myself and quietly interacting with the audience. I had never felt so empowered but also strangely calm so I continued chasing that emotion since then.&rdquo; Now, by taking up new projects and collaborations, the artist hopes that her identity as Singapore&rsquo;s resident &ldquo;Glitter Queen&rdquo; can inspire others to be their most unapologetic self. </span></p>
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        <p><strong>&ldquo;Glitter Queen&rdquo; has become your persona in the creative community. How did that title come about?</strong></p>
        <p><span>Actually, this is a funny story. When I just started my performances, life was very disorganised as I would jump on any opportunities given. One time, there was an opportunity </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">to perform in front of a huge crowd but I had just two hours&rsquo; notice. I grabbed my friends, who helped me change at the parking lot, and started walking through the crowds while covered in glitter. It&rsquo;s important to mention that I didn&rsquo;t speak much during the process so I heard one of my besties shouting behind me, &ldquo;Her name is Glitter Queen, follow her on Insta!&rsquo;&rsquo; and it just stayed. I don&rsquo;t think I would ever comfortably call myself a queen.</span></p>
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                <p><strong>How has your creative process changed over the years? </strong></p>
                <p><span>This is where I talk about the less glamorous side of creativity and tell you that most of us have to get a full-time job. My processes changed dramatically because I couldn&rsquo;t make art 24/7 anymore as I did back in university. My creativity had to be pushed back, but I&rsquo;m currently on the journey of finding that right balance. Previously, I made art because I had to. And now, I only make it when I want to. Personally, I&rsquo;m still trying to figure out what is the most ultimate state for me as each of them has its own pros and cons. </span></p>
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        <p><strong>How would you describe your thoughts during your current creative process?</strong></p>
        <p><span>Actually, it&rsquo;s funny because my mind works in strange ways. Let me try to describe it to you. So let&rsquo;s say I see something or want to comment on something &ndash; my imagination quickly imagines the final result of the artwork and then I work backwards from there. </span></p>
        <p><span>I walked through nature in Surrey, England and thought &ndash; &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never contrasted glitter with the British countryside.&rdquo; I asked myself, &ldquo;Okay, how will it look? What colours should I use? Any other symbolism to consider? Who can I work with?&rdquo; And that&rsquo;s how I usually get around to making my content. </span></p>
        <p><span>When it comes to creating actual physical art pieces, my mind works similarly. However, I get inspired by materials and my surroundings way more than when making content. Basically, I get inspired and I desperately use that window of inspiration to create something special.</span></p>
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                <p><strong>You come across as a vibrant person on Instagram, but you&rsquo;re also open about your struggles. Does creating art help you cope on days when you&rsquo;re feeling the most mentally exhausted?</strong></p>
                <p><span>Art has always been an escape for me. Sometimes making art makes me switch off and feel better. After a long week of working and being busy on social media, I sit at my station and just make stuff while watching shows. </span></p>
                <p><span>Sometimes, I overthink the social element of my work. Constantly thinking about what will people like and how can I share it with the world. It adds another layer of responsibility in my head &ndash; especially if I&rsquo;m dealing with more serious subjects like mental health or politics. However, I still believe that you should create whenever it makes you the most comfortable and all of us deserve breaks from both work and creativity. </span></p>
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        <p><strong>Would you say you perform your identity through your art? </strong></p>
        <p><span>I definitely do. When I moved to Singapore almost 10 years ago and started art school, I looked like a little goth kid. Wearing all black and being afraid to stand out. After embracing my art and love for ridiculous colours, I started becoming braver with my clothing, makeup, and content choices. Now, I look like how I wanted to look when I was 13 &ndash; with bright blue hair, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">wacky clothing, and thick eyeliner. I started looking like my art! Slowly through expressing myself in art, I found who I am almost fully. Of course, there is still so much more to explore.</span></p>
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                <p><strong>What does &ldquo; beauty&rdquo; mean to you? </strong></p>
                <p><span>As cheesy as it sounds, beauty is truly about how you feel. Since I was a little kid, I was exposed to a very high standard of beauty as a Russian woman and it was difficult to connect myself to that standard because I could never look like them. Because my journey with the idea of beauty was rocky, I used makeup as a way to express myself and my art by using my face as a canvas. To me, beauty is all about figuring out what works for you and what makes you feel beautiful inside and out. </span></p>
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"Glitter Queen" Polina Korobova Talks Performance Art as Her Method of Self-Expression

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