Andrii KYRYCHENKO

The "Shell" series began in 2016 and represents a natural continuation of the image of the vase.

In his work, the author pays special attention to the art of pottery. In his view, the vase is similar to a fruit ripening on the potter’s wheel, as if on the branch of a tree. The vase is complete when the fruit has ripened.

Shell is an evolutionary development of the vase as an object. Here, the counter-form is exposed, and we can observe the dominance of emptiness in the shaping of the image.

Shell is the shell of a fruit abandoned by its seeds. An emptied shelter where life once nestled.

"Shell#6" 2019

Ceramic, chamotte, pottery, modeling, glaze, engobe, overglaze gold,

electric kiln firing 1200 degrees.

545435 cm

KICB 2019

This piece represented the artist at the 10th Korean International Ceramic Biennale (KICB) in 2019. Four out of the six works presented were donated by the artist to the organizers and are now part of their collection.

This is a classic example from the early Shell series. As the viewer explores the landscape of the structure, they are naturally drawn to imagine what the seeds that once inhabited it might have looked like. This approach invites a speculative extrapolation of the form through time, offering a glimpse into its past. In doing so, the artist invites the viewer on a journey — through the space of form and the depth of time — toward its hidden origins.

"GShell#1" 2018

Ceramic, chamotte, pottery, modeling, glaze, engobe,

electric kiln firing 1200 degrees.

404030 cm

The Shell series sets out to explore the algorithms underlying the interconnection between form and counterform. In this branch of the main series, wheel-thrown ceramic elements — sprouting from the center of the object and intertwining beyond its boundaries — serve as the algorithm, forming a new structure. This metaphor alludes to the idea that the mask we wear originates from the depths of our essence. Consequently, we remain perpetually vulnerable.

This piece represented the artist at the MeditTERRAneo – International Ceramic Competition in Italy.

"Have a peak" 2024

Ceramics, chamotte mass, pottery, modeling, ash glazes,

wood-fired at 1280 degrees.

404030 cm

We perceive reality through our own. The foundation of our reality is laid by our parents. Thus, from birth we are protected from the outside world.

What would happen to us if we looked at the true reality with at least one eye? It would probably destroy all our ideas. The tragedy is that this has already happened, but our life goes on as before. We continue to be good parents, raising our children in the same illusion.

It's hard, but in a state of shock, we do not even feel pain. We leave pain to the next generation. After all, we are not only good parents, but also obedient children.

This is the first piece in which the artist addresses the theme of the war that caught him in Ukraine. In this branch of the Shell series, he draws on the stylistic language of academic sculpture, where the human figure becomes a call for empathy.

The work Forest was created in Finland during the Värtsilä artist residency and with the support of the organization HIAP in 2024. It was fired in a wood kiln that Oleksandr managed to build during his two years of living there.

Several other objects from the series