Natasha Dikareva

Natasha Dikareva’s ceramic sculptures explore interconnections between biological systems, mythology and contemporary technology. Drawing on her Eastern European background, her work bridges cultural and linguistic barriers, speaking to the common experience of life. While clay remains her favorite medium, other media can enhance it. Dikareva recently started sculpting and blowing glass to capture the essence of translucent, ephemeral shapes evoking water and clouds. The cloud is an elusive, mysterious element, always shifting, disappearing and reappearing in different form. As stimuli for imagination, clouds invite us to find familiar shapes and recognize figures in the drifting puffs, inspiring countless legends of atmospheric deities from around the world. The cloud transforms into purifying rain, bringing relief from sweltering heat and nurturing life on the ground. The combination of glass and clay sculpture traces the line between reality and reverie, bringing to life exquisite, surreal, impossible creatures to evoke tranquility and transformation.

These figures also reflect the current atmosphere of vulnerability. As the pandemic upends order and routine, the artist’s recent relocation from San Francisco to New England has further transformed her sculptures. Leaving the clouds, the Dwellers series of sculptures have become part of the forest, sprouting vegetation on their surfaces and climbing onto vertical structures to gain a better vantage point. As they observe the horizon, they continue to contemplate their next move. They see imminent obstacles and challenges and embrace them as opportunities for further spiritual growth.

Born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine, Dikareva received her BFA in graphics and drawing from the Kiev State Academy of Art and Design and her MFA in ceramics and sculpture from the University of Minnesota. In 2012, she won the Grand Prize at the American Museum of Ceramic Art. 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. Dikareva now lives and works in Newmarket, New Hamphire, and exhibits her work locally and internationally

Fountain Street Exhibitions: Annex Show, April 2021