Natasha Dikareva

One With the Source, 2016

PEDESTAL SCULPTURE ceramic  
8 x 15 x 9 in
20 x 38 x 23 cm

Stoneware, stains and glazes.

"This hybrid being carries symbols of many religions coexisting on a fluid surface. Unity does not mean sameness, yet all religions strive to be closer to Divinity. I hope humanity will continue to grow in understanding and love for each other as we recognize the differences between religions as parts of a bigger whole. We are all particles of the Divine being. We are all One."

"When I hear the latest news, my urge is to hide, to escape, to find a secure place, to find my shell. My sculptures, the shell dwellers, are beings conjured from an alternate universe where that urge can be immediately gratified; everyone carries their security around with them at all times. But more than that, they also carry around their stories for everyone to see. People they meet float around their face while beaches, bridges and city-scapes cover their shells. Their fresco-like shell surfaces are modern-day versions of the ruins of Pompeii, where a language of pictures communicated to people from all walks of life and many parts of the world. Although I may want to hide at times, I know we can find common understanding among our stories if we show them to others."

Natasha Dikareva was born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine and studied art in St. Petersburg, Russia during the hey-day of Soviet power. The genre of Soviet realism permeated Dikareva's young creative life. The narrow standard of approved art inadvertently pushed Dikareva to develop her own symbolic language. Dikareva immigrated to Minneapolis, USA in 1995 and later received her MFA from the University of Minnesota. She now lives and works in San Francisco, California. She won the Grand Prize at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in 2012. She exhibited at the Shanghai Art Expo, as well as at numerous galleries across Europe and the USA. Her work is featured in various publications, including 500 Prints on Clay and New Ceramics European magazine, and is held in public and private collections. She exhibits locally and internationally.

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