Ekaterina Ominina's Ceramic Art
Text by
Sasha Souther, PhD
1 February, 2022
Livingston, USA
Sasha Souther, PhD
1 February, 2022
Livingston, USA
Ceramic crafts are the most preservable artifacts in the world history. We may not know anything about first men's political views, or how they used to make small talk. However, we do know and are able to reconstruct their ceramics. On the one hand this simple earthborn material is easy to find and work with. On the other, one needs to know all the peculiarities of the calcination process in order not to ruin the future piece. Another fascinating thing about ceramics is that this medium evolved from crafts with a huge variety of schools to independent fine, modern and contemporary art practices. We can see it from different art fairs and exhibitions where ceramics are demonstrated and have the same value as a painting would have.
In this text I would like to put in the spotlight one striking ceramic artist whose creative work is worth mentioning.
Ekaterina Ominina is a Russian-born artist based in Saint-Petersburg. Her activity spans several decades. Pieces Ominina produced can be found in such museums as the Russian Museum (Saint-Peterburg, Russia), the State Hermitage (Saint-Peterburg, Russia), Murmansk Regional Art Museum (Murmansk, Russia). She received her professional training at the renowned Vera Mukhina Academy as a ceramist, after which became a member of a Saint-Petersburg art group named "Artist's Village" where she was active for 20 years.
In some of the artist's ceramic works we can spot watercolor-like images, from which we see that Ominina was obviously influenced by Henri Matisse, Mark Chagall and naïve art. Shallow perspective, bright colors are usually used in her decorative plates. Classical academic compositions where the focal point is situated in the center is often employed in the artist's work.
Ekaterina Ominina is a Russian-born artist based in Saint-Petersburg. Her activity spans several decades. Pieces Ominina produced can be found in such museums as the Russian Museum (Saint-Peterburg, Russia), the State Hermitage (Saint-Peterburg, Russia), Murmansk Regional Art Museum (Murmansk, Russia). She received her professional training at the renowned Vera Mukhina Academy as a ceramist, after which became a member of a Saint-Petersburg art group named "Artist's Village" where she was active for 20 years.
In some of the artist's ceramic works we can spot watercolor-like images, from which we see that Ominina was obviously influenced by Henri Matisse, Mark Chagall and naïve art. Shallow perspective, bright colors are usually used in her decorative plates. Classical academic compositions where the focal point is situated in the center is often employed in the artist's work.
As we take a closer look at Ominina's practice, we will find certain motives that refer to her Slavic origin, e.g.: mushrooms. Believe it or not, mushrooms are one of the most popular "models" in Russian post-Soviet art. Baltic-born, Moscow-based artist Vitas Stasiunas once mentioned that mushrooms (honey fungus in particular) are like Russians – create local groups and collaborations in the places you least expect them to be.
Ekaterina Ominina exploits mushroom theme in her flat and 3-dimentional work. This way we see a pattern in which we can highlight why is this particular model is so important for her. She says: "These works were made during creative ceramics symposium in the beautiful Zvartava Castle which belongs to the artistic center of the Latvian Artists' Union. The symposium was held in August and mushrooms appeared around the castle in the park. It was like a small miracle. I was doing a piece dedicated to the castle, so mushrooms also found a place in those works. For me they have become the personification of wildlife that has revealed itself to us – artists."
Ekaterina Ominina exploits mushroom theme in her flat and 3-dimentional work. This way we see a pattern in which we can highlight why is this particular model is so important for her. She says: "These works were made during creative ceramics symposium in the beautiful Zvartava Castle which belongs to the artistic center of the Latvian Artists' Union. The symposium was held in August and mushrooms appeared around the castle in the park. It was like a small miracle. I was doing a piece dedicated to the castle, so mushrooms also found a place in those works. For me they have become the personification of wildlife that has revealed itself to us – artists."
Another interesting twist in her art is a piece named "Brides" where she produced a small-scale friso panel with women in traditional Slavic costumes. The style she used is typical for Dymkovo toys (traditional Russian toy, produced in Vyatka district). But unlike that craft Ekaterina covers her friso with glaze, uses her recognizable watercolor-like drawing technique and etc. Each character of the artwork represents change of life and anticipation of a new beginning, no one knows what this new life is waiting for, but everyone is curious.
As we see Ekaterina Ominina's art combines a bond with the folk tradition she is connected with, personal understanding of imagery motives, recognizable technique. Her practice evolved from a fully applied environment where ceramics could be understood only as interior decor. Today Ominina is a talented middle-career artist with a passion to explore new horizons with the help of her art.
Text by
Sasha Souther, PhD
1 February, 2022
Livingston, USA
Sasha Souther, PhD
1 February, 2022
Livingston, USA
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