ABOUT
“One day, with a vase in hand, I am going to enchant this world...”
Irina Denev has been practising ceramics for over 20 years and is now based in London, England. She has a studio in the South-East of the city.
Irina graduated from the University of Decorative Applied Arts & Folk Craft choosing clay as her preferred medium. In her further search for an artistic identity, she studied the traditional techniques of hand sculpting clay directly from the internationally acclaimed Azeri artist, Mr Teymur Mammadov. She practised in his UNESCO work heritage studio-house-museum in Baku.
Irina specialises in producing sculptures in the shape of a vessel. Each of her sculptures is an exclusive hand-made piece with distinctive technical features modelled using ancient techniques that bring out the textural beauty of the medium. Irina’s artwork is recognised by her very own unique style and design.
Irina’s mission is to preserve ancient techniques of hand sculpting rarely used in ceramics whilst enhancing these techniques with a contemporary vision. She has developed a unique style that manifests tactile textures and movements of sculptured form infused with sensory perception. Irina enjoys the endless search for perfection through continuous formal exploration.
Irina strives to evoke a powerful response in a viewer by transmitting the essence of the universal symbols, such as the heart and womb as well as conscious and subconscious forms related to the human body and nature.
“The process of creating my works can be compared to creating a dance - an endless search for harmony, the beauty of lines and sound of forms. As a certified ceramic sculptor and choreographer, I try to create a choreography of lines and volumes in my sculptural works. I create plastic movements in clay with a sense of perception. The constant search for graceful elegance, unique sensory movement, and harmony of proportions is the essence of my endless search. I strive tirelessly, with great passion and sincerity to create beauty and luxury with an individual tactile sensation and infinite sensual style in every piece.”
— Irina Denev
