To celebrate my grandmother’s 80th birthday, I’ve made the following piece, titled Family Tree, as part of my ongoing project Curiophyla.  It is a tribute to my grandmother’s radiant and benevolent character.  The elephant is my late grandfather, who kneels down to pay his respect.  My grandparents actually owned a porcelain elephant statuette back in Russia when I was growing up.  Other immediate family members are pictured on the right side, including myself in the top row, middle.

Family Tree, Curiophyla, 2012

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This is a new piece for my ongoing project Curiophyla (formerly Hidden Place). Curiophyla is a made-up word. Curio is a strange, odd, interesting object that evokes one’s curiosity. Phyla (plural of phylum) is a botanical term for division or grouping of organisms.

Untitled (lungs) 2011, Curiophyla

Untitled (claw), 2011

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self-portrait, 2011

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This new piece is inspired by an incredibly complicated and bloody history of the Russian tsars. The structure in the middle is my interpretation of the Monomakh’s Cap, the main crown of the Russian monarchs. The body itself was inspired by Ernst Haeckel’s meticulous drawings of radiolarians, simple sea organisms that have the most ornate skeletal structures. I’ve also substituted the sable trimming of the hat for a piece of moss.

Radiolarian Cap of Monomakh, Hidden Place, 2011

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This latest still-life for my ongoing series ‘Hidden Place’ is about sound becoming a feeling. The porcelain structure pictured below is a human inner ear bone. Cochlea (the spiral part) is filled with liquid, which vibrates in response to sound and sets thousands of tiny hair cells in motion that transmit electrical signals to our nerve cells. This mechanism allows us to feel intense emotion whenever we hear our favorite piece of music.

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This new piece for my ongoing series ‘Hidden Place’
reflects the mourning for a loved one.

Antilopina, Hidden Place, 2011

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Here’s a new piece for my ongoing series ‘Hidden Place.’
Untitled (still life with wolf figurine), Hidden Place, 2011

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My latest piece for my ongoing series Hidden Place is once again inspired by Frida Kahlo. In particular, by a quote from her diary: “Solo un monte conoce las entrañas de otro monte.” (Only one mountain can know the core of another mountain.)

Untitled (Mountain), Hidden Place, 2011

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This new piece for my ongoing series ‘Hidden Place’ is a homage to Frida Kahlo who often portrayed flowers and orthopedic corsets in her paintings.  The inscription on the board “DIES LUNAE A.D. III ID. IVL. MMDCCVII A.U.C.” is the date when Frida died (July 13, 1954).  This work also depicts my personal experience dealing with acute back pain and treatment.

My Left Leg After a Spinal Acupuncture Session, from Hidden Place, 2011

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Some of my work form an ongoing series Hidden Place is featured on Design Squish, a wonderful blog about art, nature, sustainability, and green living, run by a talented artist Anastasia Ugorskaya.  Please read the full article here.  Don’t forget to browse the blog for some great green inspiration and check out Nastia’s delicate and beautiful watercolors on her site.

New piece for my ongoing project Hidden Place, inspired by Ernst Haeckel’s drawings:

Mycetozoa (still life with porcelain #4), from Hidden Place series

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This is the second image in the series of still-lifes for my ongoing project Hidden Place.

Untitled (still life with porcelain #2), from Hidden Place series

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