July 1, 2009 – Our Town – OWU

OWU assistant professor Kristina Bogdanov’s award-winning ceramic artwork, ‘The Chromosome Chain,’ includes 46 porcelain block-made forms that feature Bogdanov’s family photographs.

Photo courtesy of Kristina Bogdanov

OWU Professor Earns International Honor
Bogdanov recognized for her unique ceramic artwork

More than 1,700 artists from around the globe submitted pieces for competition in the 5th World Ceramic Biennale 2009 Korea (CEBIKO) International Competition. After the initial jurying process, only 118 were invited to take part in the spring event.

After the judging was complete, a mere handful of artists earned awards for their innovative, expressive creations. Among those honored was Ohio Wesleyan University’s Kristina Bogdanov, M.F.A., assistant professor of fine arts, who earned honorable mention recognition for her piece, “The Chromosome Chain.”

“I was honored that my work was selected and that it will become a part of CEBIKO’s permanent collection,” Bogdanov says.

“The Chromosome Chain contains 46 porcelain block-made forms that reflect the building blocks of the DNA chain,” Bogdanov explains in her artist’s statement for the piece. “This chromosome chain is my personal chain, consisting of 46 different photo images that are my family photographs.”

Included, Bogdanov says, is a 50-year-old photograph of her grandparents, whom she barely recalls. The many photographs, she says, are an “essential resource of memory, recollections, reminders and … a remembrance of identity.”

To create the unique blocks, the Serbian-born artist utilized a photo-lithography transfer process that she helped to create.

“Capturing these precious moments from my family history, using clay as the most archival material, honored the memory of my heritage, making me aware of who I am and what I can pass on,” Bogdanov says.

Learn more about Bogdanov and her artwork at her Web site.

– Cole Hatcher