Maria Kulikovska

11th of October 2017

Maria Kulikovska is an artist from Ukraine, who uses her body to create amazing three dimensional sculptures. When Kulikovska did her presentation on Wednesday I found it to be very emotional. There was this woman standing infront of a number of students telling us she doesn't belong anywhere in this world. What she considered home was no longer anything but a political statement. 

Displaced from her own country and Europe. Her art project "Raft CrimeA" was a representation of her not belonging on any sort of land and it was indeed a very daunting but adventurous experience for Maria. 

There were many crazy and absurd stories Maria Kulikovska had to offer and I was intrigued by every single one. I personally believe all of her work she has done to date has said something about her as a person and her bravery. 

There is an unsaid fire with in her that drives this motivation out of her and in result of this we are left with outstanding pieces of work. 

Personally my favourite works by Maria Kulikovska have been the "Homo Bulla" and "Who am I" pieces. 

I have always been led and restrained down the path of painting by myself. I thought this is what I had to do, this is what art is. Yes, I do enjoy it but a year ago I finally broke that way of thinking and started to open up to new methods and ways of expressing my creativity. 

One of the things I discovered I enjoyed doing was sculpture. In saying that I had only done it once but it was like a breath of fresh air. 

When I laid eyes on Maria Kulikovskas sculptures I was blown away, not only by the work but by exploiting and displaying her body like that. The confidence was inspiring and something I will always come back to. 

Maria Kulikovska used soap for these sculptures and at first you think well how strange - no. This was nothing short of an amazing idea. It all started with a Latin metaphorical expression where life was compared to a thin iridescent soap bubble that shimmers with rainbow colours for only a brief moment of time then rapidly exploding with the slightest puff of wind.

Soap also has a similar feel to human flesh and in the nature it will erode, rotting and decaying over time like a dead body would indeed do.

The last piece I want to talk about, "Who am I" revolves around the idea of the hatred of what's ideal and what are the beauty standards.

Although this is a very concrete topic to talk about in todays society I really admire the execution of her work. 

I have really taken a lot from this lecture, I have taken away so many aspects and features that I too would like to maintain as a young artist. Between the creativity and the bravery I believe Maria Kulikovska will continue to create amazing pieces of work and will continue as a successful artist, inspiring many others as much as she has inspired me.