Life-like porcelain flowers
- Anna has developed her own porcelain recipe
- She is inspired by aesthetics from the Dutch Golden Age
- Her creations translate the fragile and dynamic nature of flowers
Anna Volkova’s journey into porcelain and ceramics was established during her studies at the Rietveld Academy in The Netherlands. With limitless access to lab materials and encouraged to experiment, she struggled at first with the endless sea of possibilities for creativity. This came in sharp contrast with a more rigid style of teaching she had previously experienced in St. Petersburg. This period culminated in a ceramic explosion of creative output for Anna. In the process she discovered and tried out various Chinese recipes, which led to her developing her very own porcelain recipe. This allows her more time to work on making petals longer and thinner. Inspired by Dutch Golden Age still lifes, her tulips and flowers are porcelain sculptures that capture the fragile elegance of flowers, as though plucked straight from an Ambrosius Bosschaert bouquet.
INTERVIEW
My work is my hobby, my style of living. It is my way of transforming thoughts and emotions and how I communicate with people. I also need the response and the feedback to move forward. I want my work to inspire people.
The process of experimentation. When I am not concentrating on the result, I am like a child, sketching and trying things out. When an idea is formed the moment is magical, pure creativity.
In 2001, I graduated from the Rietveld Academy and had just become a mother. I chose to depict this new life phase by crafting memory tiles. They were explosions of memories, of life before motherhood. The tiles were laid in the structure of a tree and could be walked on.
I have a good understanding of material. With each type of material, I get into it, I love it, whether it be leather, glass or ceramics. Whatever I work with I nurture a special relationship with it.
