Irina Lakshin "Tennis Players" Ceramic Sculpture
Irina Lakshin "Tennis Players" 2021
Sculpture: Ceramics (Stoneware Clay and Terra Sigillata)
Dimensions: 13.5 x 15 x 8 in
Unique
Signed by the artist, Includes a Certificate of Authenticity
Irina Lakshin is a Russian sculptor, born and raised in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Before moving to the United States, she completed her Master’s in economics from the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade and began her early career in banking. Upon her move to the United States in 2009, Irina began taking pottery classes for fun, where her hobby blossomed into a passion. For several years, she studied with various ceramic masters. She perfected her skills in both hand-building and wheel-throwing, among many techniques. By 2012, Irina decided to turn her passion into a lifestyle by becoming a professional artist; her work can now be seen in various galleries and private art collections. In 2018, Irina achieved her Certificate of Fine Art from the New York Academy of Art, followed by a Master’s degree in sculpture in 2021. Irina’s work ranges in both material and technique, as she sculpts with stoneware, porcelain, and terracotta, and uses different types of glazing and firing throughout her work. Her contemporary work references the classics, while manifesting itself in the form of vessels, figurative, and pop-art sculptures. Irina’s latest project from 2020 is a series of sculptures called “Mishka”. The sculpted bears in this series represent avatars, to depict people, life situations, emotions, and funny narratives.
About the artwork:
"Let’s play like children. The biggest difference between them and adults is their imagination and fantasy without boundaries. When they play, they imbue their toys with their own qualities and that of who surrounds them. I wanted to play this game too; and I chose to play with a bear named Mishka. The type of toy everyone is familiar with— Mishka inspires empathy which bridges to the audience. My goal is to craft a universal message that appeals to all, and is communicated through my prism view of this world and this life."