Maria Koshenkova
KOSHMAR
Glass sculptor
Copenhagen, Denmark
Playing with glass
- Maria uses a cornucopia of glass sculpting techniques
- Ongoing experimentation is part of her individual style
- Her work includes glass objects and site specific installations
Russian born Maria Koshenkova, who graduated from the Academy of Art and Design in St. Petersburg, has brought a breath of fresh air to Denmark. Her work encompasses myriad techniques. In the beginning she worked with hot formed glass, before turning to blown glass during a stay in Japan. There, she learned about the traditional sexual practice of Shibari from Japanese bondage artists, resulting in her series Restrain and Release, using cast glass. She has also developed work using the complex process of lost wax casting thanks to support from the Danish Art Foundation. Mould preparation and coldworking is carried out in Maria's recently opened studio.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
To play. When I enter the studio, I feel like a child who is waiting for what happens next. It is a game, a fight and a choreography, where my ideas are confronted with the character of the material. Glass never behaves like you expect it to.
Definitely not. You always have to be flexible and sensitive to own 'mistakes' and be able to turn them into an advantage. I just want to deliver my feelings and ideas to the viewer and I'm open to changing my working methods through the process.
Fellowships and art residencies give me a fantastic opportunity to experiment. I believe I am good at adapting my skills since travel abroad allows me to investigate using alternative techniques.
My identity is shaped by Russian culture, which forms the basic narrative in my works, which I try to merge with Scandinavian aesthetics. The borders between craft, design and fine arts are much more fluid in Russia, which gives me more freedom.
1 EXPERIENCE
