I am trying to reach deep hidden inner selves through my ceramic sculptures, to open our inner self, to find out our deeply long forgotten inner child, our childhood memories including joys and fears and even nightmares. My sculptures embrace my background (MA) in different types of literature such as international folk tales, fairytales, and classic literature. I took Art/Clay classes in my youth in Eastern Europe and at Moscow Fine Arts University.
I remember myself to be an avid sculptor constantly making figures from playdough from early childhood. I use my signature ‘Elena Ya ‘to pay tribute to my fraternal grandmother, who first taught me to love nature and seek to reach out to so many hidden secrets and treasures in it.
I always considered my sculpting as ‘child play’ and only after having accomplished myself professionally and financially in the United States, did I have time, means, and positive energy to pursue my ‘inner child play’ – sculpting as a most responsible and serious step and accomplishment in my adult life.
I try to create different figures and scenes from a depth of mind and heart; and tell stories that have been probably influenced by my favorite artworks of Dali, Chagall, Bosch and Miro, Literature by Brothers Grimm, Hesse, Kafka’s novellas and Dostoevsky, Bunin and Bulgakov reaching out to our roots of fears and inner controversies, that take roots from childhood, fighting our childhood fears and at the same time finding solace in them. Exploring the nature of femininity, modern stereotypes, and new archetypes of femininity starting from our inner childhood memories of the first walk in the forest, first swim in the ocean, first taste of grandmother’s apple pie and ice cream, first story of a fairy tale that has been read at nighttime, even first nightmare experienced in a night of sleep.
If an independent viewer would be able to see something close, dear, and even secret in my ceramic sculptures, then my ceramic creations have accomplished their first steps to future self and inner discovery and are ready to hold a viewer's hand on a way to the scary but exciting adventures into our inner world and surrounding nature.
