A series of porcelain rats featuring underglaze and overglaze painting.
1987–1996
“I wouldn’t have taken it on if it wasn’t about the tail. A rat is a unique creature; a rat is a human’s symbiont. Living right next to us, they are the first to disappear in times of famine. Just like crows, only with tails. I realized that the basic form had to be absolutely primitive.”
“I cast the basic forms first, and only then added the teeth and other details. I placed them vertically in the kiln so that their tails wouldn’t break off during firing but would curve smoothly — each one differently. I made over 200 rats, but only 36 were exhibited.”
The only two rats remaining in the artist’s collection. Not for sale, but available for exhibitions.
Central Exhibition Hall Manege, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Curator Larisa Skobkina.
During the firing, one of the rats fused with an angel, resulting in The Composition, which is held in the collection of the Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Historic Sonne restaurant in Oberust, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland.
The rest of the collection traveled along the route St. Petersburg — Riga — Prague — Zurich (Oberuster), accompanied by happenings.