Little Joseph (2006)
The first thing that struck me about Maxim Velcovsky's work is that he uses the most beautiful shiny porcelain. The second thing was "Isn't that Lenin?" Yes, it is Lenin. I didn't know what an amazing tool of political activism ceramics can be. If you think about it, how many of us have slogans or sayings on our coffee mugs? I certainly do. Maxim Velcovsky uses his ceramic art to speak about his personal history as well as taking something from utilitarian to immortal, via his clay. He does this with the bust of Lenin, because as a child, he was raised under communist rule in the former Soviet Republic of Czechoslovakia.
In this example, he takes simple utilitarian rubber boots and creates high art by again casting them in fine porcelain and transforming them. This series is titled "Waterproof Vase" (2001). This is Pop art, the recreation of items mass produced for the consumer, however, it also speaks to our disposable and our consumerism. Velcovsky, through his art, makes us question the notion of permenance and sustainablilty. Our culture has become disposable. We are just now becoming aware of humanity's impact of our planet. Through his work, Vecovsky makes us question ourselves.
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