In a country far-far away, namely in Russia, I have a cousin. We have never spent much time together because we have always lived far away from each other. Even when we both lived in the former USSR, there was about 1,200 miles separating us, and now I live near Washington, DC and he lives in Moscow. As kids, we have usually spent some time together in summer and we always had something to talk about. I do not think we have ever discussed art though...
My cousin Innokenty Sharkov grew up to be a talented sculptor and ceramist. He is a true artist and I love his works. I would like to show you the Fairy Dragon Vessel he gave me in 1999. I think it is marvelous - the shape, the color, the detail, and it definitely has lots of character. Innokenty also makes wonderful garden sculptures and oversized tiles like this one with a Unicorn.
When Innokenty met his wife Daria, a talented architect and artist, and started to collaborate with her, his art became much more modern. The couple participated in the prestigious Kandinsky Prize 2010 exhibition and this year took part in the Central House of Artists, Moscow 2011 exhibition.
I find Innokenty's newer work, like this piece titled Fisherman's Dreams, fascinating. However, when I look at his older, folk-inspired pieces, I see that both our art styles definitely have a common origin. I notice that I tend to come back to the theme of a fairy forest fairly often. I guess, it is in our blood…