Alexandra Slava
Germany
Born in 1996 in Kiev, Ukraine, I embarked on a quest to find my life’s calling at a very young age. Throughout my childhood I practiced dance, music, sports, and of course, various forms of art. While showing dedication to each new activity, I always found a particular joy in making things by hand, be it drawing, origami, papier-mâché or clay figurines.
At the age of 12 I made a concrete decision to turn art into my lifelong pursuit. I began my formal training at Taras Shevchenko State Art School in Kiev. The school offered several programs, including painting, sculpture, architecture and decorative arts. For me the choice was obvious. The directness of three-dimensional art along with the broad freedom it gives for creative expression ultimately inspired me to join the sculpture class.
The curriculum was based on a centuries-long tradition of academic training. It included an extensive study of human form, with a strong reliance on the works from antiquity and the Old Masters.
While still in high school, I began researching art universities for my further education. That led me to discover The Florence Academy of Art. Their emphasis on professional craftsmanship and high level of instruction convinced me to move to Florence and enroll in the full-time sculpture program. As a student I received a substantial support from a number of institutions such as The International Arts & Culture Group (TIAC), The Art Renewal Center and The Florence Academy of Art itself through the assigned work-study position and various scholarships. In addition, in 2016 I was selected for a collaborative project with the director of the Painting Program at the Florence Academy of Art, Ramiro Sanchez, creating the model of a large marble statue for the interior design of St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In 2017 I successfully completed my studies at The Florence Academy of Art, having been awarded the prize of Sculpture of the Year.
Over the years my work has been recognized by several international organizations including The Art Renewal Center, Alpine Fellowship, Aesthetica Magazine, Society of Portrait Sculptors, Ostrale Biennale and the European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, Spain.
My sculptures may be found in private collections throughout Europe, USA, South America and Australia.
After graduating from the academy, I continued running an independent artistic practice in Florence. Later I moved to Warsaw, Poland, and from there to Berlin. Currently I am based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Thus, my journey in the pursuit of inspiration continues.
Lately more of my efforts are directed towards teaching activity. Driven by gratitude for all the input and encouragement from my own mentors and given the rarity of the traditional approach in art education, I feel motivated to pass my knowledge on to aspiring artists. At the moment I am in the midst of starting the new sculpture program at Wiesbaden Free Art School in Hessen, Germany.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
