Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
I am a ceramic artist from Ukraine. One year ago, myself, along with my wife and two daughters arrived in Finland. Currently, I live near Värtsilä, North Karelia, where I have built a kiln for wood firing ceramics and arranged a pottery ceramic workshop.
Before the war in Ukraine, I spent the last 20 years engaged in ceramics and sculpture. It was central to my life, and art constituted a significant part of my existence. In ceramics, I find both pottery and sculpting equally captivating. For me, clay is a versatile medium for expression, combining numerous properties and factors.
I recently arrived in Finland with my family, including our two young daughters. Our journey marked a significant step in our lives, as we had experienced the onset of war in our city in Ukraine, with attempts by the Russian army to seize it. For a month, we lived in constant fear for the lives of our children and saw no way out of this situation.The city we lived in Ukraine is situated near the Russian border, and at the цonset of the war, the enemy army attempted to capture our city, albeit unsuccessfully. My family and I were in the city when the Russian army encircled it from various sides. Now, the forests around my town have become perilous due to landmines, preventing people from freely venturing into the woods.
This period prompted us to reflect deeply and raised numerous questions about the essence of life and death. War and destruction, unfortunately, remain constant companions of humanity, and we seek answers to the question of how to learn to live in harmony. It seems that human civilization does not heed the lessons of history, and conflicts persist. Therefore, we must find harmony within ourselves. The forest serves as an example of such harmony, existing for thousands of years, where all elements can interact with each other and coexist in mutual balance.
Moreover, the forest is my haven of peace and equilibrium. Since the beginning of the war, engaging in art had been an impossibility for me. Leaving behind my home and studio, my psychological state was such that I couldn’t fathom how I would continue pursuing creativity. I saw no meaning in it and couldn’t envision what to do, as war obliterates meanings and sharpens all facets of life. It was only upon arriving in Finland that I began contemplating new projects and art as a whole.
Nature and the forest became factors that influenced my state. Human history is replete with grim chapters. Upon arriving in Värtsilä, I learned about the history of this place and found parallels with my own history.
When in the forest, as you observe nature, you realize that these stones and mosses are spectators gazing at us through the centuries.
Education
2004-2010 Specialist degree in industrial design , Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts
Work Experience
2003-2010 – Laboratory of Ceramics in Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts
2011- 2022 – working in own studio
Memebership
2016 Member of Ukrainian National union of Artists
2019 Member of International Academy of Ceramics
2019 Member of Artaxis – independent network of artists
Group exhibitions
2020- Durer.Paraphrase. – Kharkiv Art Museum, Kharkiv , Ukraine
2020 Habitat – Lavra gallery with WWF Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
2020 – Corpore- exhibition with Nataliya Korf-Ivanyuk, Mironova-gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 Starting point – exhibition with Segii Shaulis, Mironova gallery, Kyiv ,Ukraine
2018 Ukrainian ceramic festival TSE GLYNA, Kyiv, Ukraine
2016 Litoralis – Gogolfest,Ivano-Frankivsk,Ukraine
Juried exhibitions
2021 MINO International Ceramic Competition, Japan. Special Judges Award (selected by Tatehata Akira)
2021 International Juried Ceramics Exhibition MARTINSONS AWARD, Rothko art centre , Daugavpils,Latvia
2018 International Juried Ceramics Exhibition MARTINSONS AWARD, Rothko art centre , Daugavpils,Latvia
2017 Gold prize on First Ukrainian ceramic biennale, National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery, Oposhnya ,Ukraine
2015 35 CICA International Ceramic Competition of L’Alcora (Spain), Museum of Ceramics of L’Alcora
2015 3th International Triennial of Ceramics Unicum 2015, National museum of Slovenia, Ljubljana
2013 Ukrainian Exhibition of Ceramics Artists, National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery, Oposhnya, Ukraine.
2010 International festival of arts and crafts. Gallery “Belyaevo”, Moscow
2010 Ukrainian Exhibition of Ceramics Artists, National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery, Oposhnya, Ukraine
Solo exhibition
2017 On the fracture – solo exhibition, Art Jump gallery, Poltava, Ukraine
2016 Ceramic codes – solo exhibition, Nurnberg house, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Museums collections
2018 Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre , Latvia
2017 National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery in Opishne
2015 Museu de Ceràmica de l’Alcora , Spain
2015 National museum of Slovenia, Ljubljana
Metsässä 