Siruk
Olga Siruk - Ceramic Artist
I create hand-built ceramic sculptures that merge folk motifs with avant-garde abstraction. Through the paper resist technique, I transform simple forms into layered explorations of memory, identity, and cultural heritage.
I explore the complex relationship between Russian identity and cultural heritage in the 21st century. As a recent immigrant, I seek to reinterpret traditional Russian folk crafts — both as personal symbols and as politically charged artifacts. In today’s global context, many Russians feel conflicted about their national identity, trying to separate a rich cultural past from the realities of the present. My practice is rooted in this tension, in the way inherited traditions are shaped by historical trauma, displacement, and social change.
Inspired by Russian avant-garde and folk art, I create contemporary ceramic forms with graphic compositions using the paper resist technique. I am fascinated by how a simple sculptural shape can become a surface for complex interactions of color, pattern, and meaning.
Over the past year, I have been researching stage designs for the Ballets Russes under Sergei Diaghilev. Their blend of radical modernism and folk tradition fascinates me, especially in works based on Russian fairy tales such as The Firebird, The Golden Cockerel, and Petrushka. These motifs resonate deeply with me. I grew up in a rural village where fairy tales, mythological creatures, and seasonal rituals were part of everyday life. What looked like fantasy on stage was my lived experience.
Many Ballets Russes artists sought to break from the past, yet folklore continually resurfaced. I feel a similar duality — a desire for transformation alongside a deep connection to my roots. Since moving from Russia two years ago, this dialogue has become more visible in my life and work. My ceramics reflect the tension between memory and movement, tradition and reinvention.
Education
2007 - 2012
Master’s Degree in Interior Design, Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Awards
2025
Finalist, CERCO International Ceramic Prize, Zaragoza, Spain
2025
Selected Artist, Fresh, British Ceramics Biennial, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Selected Exhibitions
2025
Fresh, British Ceramics Biennial, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
2025
CERCO International Exhibition, Zaragoza, Spain
2025
Group Exhibition / Feast, County Hall Pottery Gallery, London, UK
2024
Ceramics Fair / Art in Clay, Farnham, UK
2024
Group Exhibition / Plates with Purpose – Make for Peace, Messums West, Salisbury, UK
2023
Group Exhibition / Surfaces, Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve, Moscow, Russia
Residencies
2024
Earthworks Ceramic Studio Residency, London, UK
2023
GET ART FIT Online Residency