Since June, the Fine Arts Ceramic Center has been sponsoring a new series of works by the renowned Ukrainian artist and ceramist, Boris Danilov, as part of its newly established Artist-in-Residence Program. This collection of works, primarily consisting of hand-painted plates and decorative tiles, will form part of his upcoming solo exhibition, his first in the United States.
Boris Danilov is the first artist selected for the Artist-in-Residence Program offered by FACC starting from the summer of 2023. The program is designed to provide artists with an ideal environment for creation, offering them the necessary tools and materials to complete a creative cycle from scratch.
Danilov is a master of porcelain technique who has also ventured into painting, design, and monumental art. He shares the aesthetic principles of medieval Japanese 'Sabi.' The term derives from Zen Buddhism and has been used in various contexts, including poetry, ceramics, architecture, and visual arts. It is believed to have originated in Japanese poetry, particularly in haiku, which values the beauty of nature in its natural state and seasonal evolution. Sabi also refers to an aesthetic quality that celebrates simplicity, imperfection, and the patina that time adds to objects, thus being associated with the enjoyment of melancholic and serene beauty found in ancient objects worn by use and the passage of time. The artist's works reflect reverence for the past without relinquishing imperfections, asymmetry, and the magnificent erosion caused by the passage of time. His pieces are simple yet subtle, conveying the poignant serenity of the ephemeral and transitory. His artistic proposal alludes to the impermanence of objects and the melancholy of change.
Throughout his extensive career, he has primarily focused on creating unique porcelain pieces inspired by past centuries' craftsmanship, with one of his fundamental references being the Italian porcelain of Ginori 1735.
As a resident, beyond creating several ceramic pieces, he will contribute with innovative perspectives on the creation of non-utilitarian objects and new ways of working with the versatile medium of clay in various educational workshops. He will also deliver a keynote lecture on porcelain technique, which, while sharing the foundational aspect of working with clay and undergoing a firing process with traditional ceramics, differs in composition, firing temperature, appearance, and applications. The Fine Arts Ceramic Center aims to share with the community an appreciation of both techniques simultaneously, each with its own allure through their development in different cultures and traditions.
Danilov will also share his latest collection of porcelain pieces sponsored by art patron Oleg Dzyubyak with our audience. The appreciation of the ensemble demonstrates exceptional skill in combining centuries-old traditions with a modern and visionary aesthetic and a deep understanding of ceramic history. This collection has recently been exhibited in the show 'Boris Danilov's White Gold,' in collaboration with the Richard Ginori 1735 manufacture at the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art (Kyiv, Ukraine). Previously, his work was produced and exhibited at the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Augarten in Vienna.
His residency at the Fine Arts Ceramic Center will have a significant impact on both the artistic community and the general public. His commitment to artistic excellence should inspire our artists to explore new possibilities in the field of ceramics and break creative barriers.
Danilov: Ukrainian contemporary artist, porcelain master. Works in painting, graphics, monumental art, and experiments with form and color. Creates picturesque and decorative compositions of a figurative and abstract nature. The artist is close to the aesthetic principle of medieval Japanese art, "Sabi" - a unique concept of beauty, expressed in strict harmonious forms, imbued with elegy.
The artist is a bright representative of postmodernism. He carried out creative projects at the Royal Porcelain Manufactory. Augarten (Vienna, Austria, 1998).The works are stored in the National Museums of Kyiv, Lviv, and Khmelnytskyi. He lives and works in Kyiv (Ukraine). Author and participant in many exhibitions, symposiums, auctions, and creative projects.
2021 Exhibition: "Boris Danilov's White Gold. Porcellana. In collaboration with the manufacturer Richard Ginori 1735. Catalog. National Museum Ukrainian folk decorative art. (Kyiv, Ukraine).
2010 Exhibition "View from four sides." Catalog. National Museum Ukrainian folk decorative art. (Kyiv, Ukraine).
1998 Personal exhibition at the National Art Museum (Kyiv, Ukraine).
1998 Author's project at the Augarten Royal Manufactory. Auction. (Vienna, Austria)
2001 - 2005 Author of the restoration of cultural and historical objects in St. Sophia of Kyiv - tiled stoves of the 18th century in the Metropolitan's House. Author ofmonumental sculptures in the Kyiv Puppet Theater (Kyiv, Ukraine).
