In case you don’t keep track of TMORA (The Museum of Russian Art) shows, and you value your little moments of madness, you might want to pay a visit to them soon, as they currently have an exhibit of surrealist sculptor Sergei Isupov. The following two figures are my Arts Editor’s favorites. We must of necessity present several views of each, for reasons that will become apparent. The AE has worked professionally in pottery, and was absolutely in awe of Isupov’s work.
Here, if memory serves, is Burden, in three views:
The best I can make out is that it’s about a dog taking his human for a walk.
Her other favorite, which I also liked, we present in two opposing views. I regret to say I don’t recall the name of this one:
Each of these spaniel-sized sculptures presents a complete, well-modeled 3-D image. Superimposed onto the outside surface of the sculptures are beautifully-rendered 2-D images that totally change the perspective of the original shape in weird and mind-bending ways. I suspect that one needs to be able to hold them in both hands and view them from every possible angle to fully appreciate these works of art.
I’d be hard-pressed to explain the psychology behind the images in this show. The casual observer may detect flashes of MC Escher as well as an obvious nod to Hieronymus Bosch. In every case, the sculptures are impeccably modeled, and the slip-drawn applied figures have detail as fine as the best etchings. Suffice it to say that the show is well worth a special trip if you’re in the mood for some modern surrealism.
And, just for fun, some work from Isupov’s Big Head period:
The heads are done in stoneware with an overlay of colored slip. The rest of the thirty-odd items in the exhibit were built in fine porcelain and overpainted or stained with colored slip, with a few flashes of judiciously-applied clear, high-gloss glaze used as a textural highlight.
Surreal Promenade is on view at The Minneapolis Museum of Russian Art from February 9th – June 9th, 2019 in the Lower Gallery.
(Most of this post written by Deb, our Arts Editor.)
