Irina Lakshin "VERSASSY"

Irina Lakshin "VERSASSY" 2025

Hydrocal, acrylic paint
Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.5 x 10 in
Unique
Signed by the artist, Includes a Certificate of Authenticity

Irina Lakshin is a Russian American sculptor based in New Jersey. Classically trained, she holds an MFA in Sculpture from the New York Academy of Art. Lakshin began her career in economics before relocating to the United States in 2009, where she shifted her focus to ceramics and ultimately committed to sculpture as a full-time practice.
Working primarily in water-based clay, Lakshin translates her forms into ceramic, hydrocal, and aqua resin. Her early work explored traditional vessels and academic figurative sculpture before evolving into a Pop-inflected visual language that merges formal discipline with cultural commentary.
Since 2020, Lakshin’s central body of work has been the “Mishka” series, a collection of sculptural teddy bears that function as emotional votives for contemporary life. By adopting the universally familiar form of a plush toy, she investigates how an ostensibly innocent figure can carry complex psychological states and reflect the contradictions of modern experience. Humor and subtle sarcasm coexist with vulnerability and introspection, creating works that are playful in appearance yet psychologically charged.
Lakshin’s sculptures invite viewers to project personal narratives onto the work, recognizing fragments of themselves beneath the surface. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, art fairs, auctions, and museums across the United States and is held in private collections.