Ivan Ushkov has had his images confiscated by the police, compared shooting notes with Dennis Hopper, and been fired from a casino for insobriety. One of the least predictable creatives we've seen this side of the Balkans.

Hello Ivan. We are interested in your history - please tell us about it.

I had bad marks during my schooling. All the time I had the definite problems with my teachers and school administration. And as a result, I changed four schools. After finishing my school I could not enter the pedagogic institute and went to work to a factory, where I worked at first as an moulder assistant and afterwards as a moulder. It was not a simple way for me. After that I worked as a dealer in the casino. But I was fired for my drunkenness and for a bad attitude to my job. After my working in the casino I lived in European countries without visa and then without money at all. Being acquainted with the other sides of capitalism, I returned home in 1994. Here I tried to start my own business. Although my temper was very active so there was no success. I work in the business up to our days.

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Back in 2007, your works were excluded from an exhibition in Moscow, and you computer confiscated by the police - why was this?

You've got the wrong information. My computer was confiscated in St. Petersburg. And in Moscow, five minutes before the exhibition opening, my works were removed from the central hall of Russia's artists. The event with the computer is directly connected with the State Duma election. I've got the pictures (below), which parody the posters of our main Russian Federation party The United Russia (Ed - led by Putin). Probably politicians of the United Russia thought that I'm an enemy for them. Cops tried to press on me with their morals. But journalists and Ethernet Association were on my side. And all the world became familiar with my problems. Even CNN called me proposing to be on the air. At the present I've got no problems with the authorities.

Regards to David Lynch

What's your Welcome to Russia series about? How do you feel about visitors to Russia?

There is incorrect question again (Ed - what? how??). I have the series of my works Welcome to Russia. When I was often abroad I heard from the people that never been to Russia that we have an awful life in our country. The criminality, poverty, illiteracy and so on. This is a result of Western information resources. Mainly they describe our problems and very rarely our achievements. But we have a lot of them. And making that series of my pictures I transfigured the most awful aspects about our country. Just added the black humour and grotesque.

Paid Toilets (one price for Russians, another for tourists)

Last year I saw about 50,000 English supporters. There was a soccer Champion League Final in Moscow. Happy Englishmen walked around the Red Square and shouted KGB, KGB! And nobody arrested them for that. The thing is the KGB is no more about 20 years. Moscow is a big and beautiful city. The people living in it, they have only the idea of their own welfare. And the city gives that opportunity. Just like New York or London.

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You've done quite a few adverts. Do you think advertising in Russia requires a different approach to Europe?

Yes, I shot a lot of advertising. But still I want to admit that the advertising is more interesting in the West than in Russia. The people spend enough money but they afraid of taking risk. They try to keep the definite rules. And as a result the advertising is not interesting but more informative. And there isn't a lot of humour in it. We didn't shoot any funny comedy in Russia for the last 30 years. This is my dream to make a real funny movie.

Dennis Hopper

Tell us about the time you photographed Dennis Hopper.

I shot Dennis Hopper for L`Officiel magazine. He visited St. Petersburg in 2007 with his photo exhibition. Besides, he is a cameraman. We had 15 minutes for the interview. I presented him my several little pictures. He laughed for a long time. And in the end we blabbed about an hour. He's a good dude, without fucking freaks. He's already 74 but he rides a motor-cycle. He spends his life with ups and downs.