Carving the way for experimental artists everywhere, all-round legend and Russian-based artist Salavat Fidai is at the tip of success. Carving everything from iconic landmarks to Darth Vadar from the led of an ordinary HB pencil, hence the all-round legend status. We had a chat to Fidai about art, Darth Vader, inspired dreams and his advice for all the young budding artists.

The King is Dead // HB Pencil 

What was your first memory of art and when did it become such a big part of your life? 

I loved to draw since childhood. In elementary school, I cut out of school chalk sculptures of ancient Gods. My parents were also professional artists, they taught me to love art. Art has always been my passion, I sketched, photographed (portrait and still life). Last year I finally became a freelancer as a professional artists, very different from my career in law before.

You know how most artists are known for that ‘one thing’, what would you want your ‘one thing’ to be?

I want people to know me as a versatile artists. Today it may be micro sculptures but tomorrow it may be an installation or street art.

Breaking Bad // Acrylic on Pumpkin Seeds

What is your inspiration, and how does it get from inside your mind to IRL?

Faberge and many well-known masters of miniatures are my core source of inspiration. I do a lot of reading, and to other exhibitions. Most of the time it is my dreams where inspiration takes place. When this happens, the next day I look for physical inspiration like photos based on my dreams and then I make sketches and layouts.

When I work with oil on canvas, it is much more of an emotional and expressive process. If i paint on acrylic on seeds, it is a lot more detail-oriented. When I carve sculptures from pencils it is surprisedly meditative.

“Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gough // Acrylic on a Matchbox

What was the process of the first pencil sculpture like? 

Oh! The first sculpture was Darth Vader. I cut it seven times! For me it was an interesting experience, micro sculptures often break down because the graphite is very fragile material.

Darth Vadar // HB Pencil 

You now have nearly 350k of followers on Instagram. Were you expecting such a big response?

I definitely didn’t expect my micro sculptures to be so popular! It was just another experiment for me. I hope that I can keep surprising people with another form of art!

Australia is full with talented young artists, what would your one piece of advice be to them? 
Do not be afraid to experiment with new materials, explore your local art scene and learn from it!
Follow Salavat Fidai on Instagram at @salavat.fidai, maybe the next off-beat artwork material we will see will be a REDDS Cup? Here is some dream-inspired inspo Fidai 😉

Words by Edelle Gettings