Project Tag: Sergei Isupov

04
Apr
2026
SERGEI ISUPOV

SERGEI ISUPOV

AVAILABLE FROM COLLECTIONS

Works by Sergei Isupov from private collections are available for sale. 

INQUIRE / PLACE HOLD

Party Dress

Sergei Isupov

  • Date of Production: 2008
  • Maker:‎ Sergei Isupov
  • Material: ‎ porcelain
  • Dimensions: ‎ 33.5 x 17 x 12″ inches
  • Provenance: Made in the artists studio, Cummington, MA
  • EXHIBITION HISTORY: “Androdgyny”, August 23 – October 4, 2008, Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS
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MORE ON SERGEI ISUPOV

Estonian-American, b. 1963 Stavropole, USSR,
lives and works between Cummington, MA, USA and Tallinn, Estonia

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramics using traditional hand-building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using colored stains highlighted with clear glaze.

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum Angewandte in Kunst, Germany, and in the US at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Fine Arts–Boston, Museum of Fine Arts–Houston, Mint Museum of Art, and Racine Art Museum. In 2017, his solo exhibition at The Erie Art Museum presented selected works in a 20-year career survey titled Hidden Messages, followed by Surreal Promenade e, another survey solo in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art in Minnesota. Focusing on stand-alone figures and couplets, Isupov exhibited solo shows, Alliances (2023) at Thorne-Sagendoph Art Gallery at Keene State College, Ancestor (2024), in the Anderson Gallery at Bridgewater State University, and Moments from Eternity (2025), at District Clay Center in Washington, DC.

Often called an erotic Surrealist for his daring representations of sexuality, relationships, and human encounters, Isupov merges his subject matter with ceramic sculptural form.

Drawing on personal experience and human observation, he creates work that integrates autobiography with fictional narratives. While the robust and racially distinct facial traits make each sculpture unique, they also make the body of work capable of conveying universal experiences. The bold colour palette, heavily tattooed faces, and textured surfaces relate these works to the aesthetics of traditional Russian art, as well as to contemporary styles of illustration.

Sergei Isupov is represented by Ferrin Contemporary.

VIEW ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS

11
Feb
2026
SERGEI ISUPOV: Works On Paper | Prints

SERGEI ISUPOV: Works On Paper | Prints

Over the last few decades, Sergei Isupov has been experimenting with numerous forms of printmaking to create new landscapes for his figural and narrative themes. Many of these prints were created for paper reproduction, though in recent years, Isupov has extended his designs to fabric tshirts, wood, and even mural-scale installations. 

LITTLETON STUDIOS PRINTS

2000
vitreograph, sliligraphy print from glass plate, digital transfer

 

Sergei worked on a series of prints at Littleton Studios in 2000. Each Littleton Print is a Vitreograph, Siligraphy print from glass plate, using Digital Transfer techniques. The printing process varies from edition to edition.  The labor involved in the process, the quality of the paper, and the edition size all affect the price of the print.

Sergei Isupov, "Ancestor", 2023, oil ink print on paper, 98 x 98". Photo by John Polak Photography.

COLLECTED & WOODBLOCK PRINTS

2004 – Present

Sergei Isupov’s largest woodcut print served as a signature work in his exhibition ALLIANCES; Isupov began with a square, eight-foot woodcut print created from two plywood panels, carving the image using power tools. His plywood carving and print installation bring together ceramic sculpture, assemblage, and printmaking practices and feature dimensional ceramic elements inserted into the plywood print plate.

INTAGLIO PRINTS

2003
intaglio, siligraphy
29
Jul
2025
SERGEI ISUPOV in: Sculpture at The Mount

SERGEI ISUPOV in: Sculpture at The Mount

The Mount | Edith Wharton’s Home

2 Plunkett St
Lenox, MA

May 24 – October 19, 2025

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Sculpture at The Mount features works of contemporary outdoor sculpture in a range of media against the backdrop of the vibrant woods, gardens, and grounds of The Mount, the historic home of American novelist Edith Wharton.  The 2025 show, comprised of 25 large-scale, juried works, will be free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. A digital guide will be available in both English and Spanish, featuring artist statements recorded in their own words.Sculpture at The Mount features works of contemporary outdoor sculpture in a range of media against the backdrop of the vibrant woods, gardens, and grounds of The Mount, the historic home of American novelist Edith Wharton.  The 2025 show, comprised of 25 large-scale, juried works, will be free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. A digital guide will be available in both English and Spanish, featuring artist statements recorded in their own words.Sculpture at The Mount features works of contemporary outdoor sculpture in a range of media against the backdrop of the vibrant woods, gardens, and grounds of The Mount, the historic home of American novelist Edith Wharton.  The 2025 show, comprised of 25 large-scale, juried works, will be free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. A digital guide will be available in both English and Spanish, featuring artist statements recorded in their own words.

ABOUT SERGEI ISUPOV

Estonian-American, b. 1963 Stavropole, USSR,
lives and works between Cummington, MA, USA and Tallinn, Estonia

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramics using traditional hand-building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using colored stains highlighted with clear glaze.

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum Angewandte in Kunst, Germany, and in the US at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Fine Arts–Boston, Museum of Fine Arts–Houston, Mint Museum of Art, and Racine Art Museum. In 2017, his solo exhibition at The Erie Art Museum presented selected works in a 20-year career survey titled Hidden Messages, followed by Surreal Promenade e, another survey solo in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art in Minnesota.

01
Apr
2025
SERGEI ISUPOV: Moments from Eternity

SERGEI ISUPOV: Moments from Eternity

District Clay Center

2414 Douglas St NE
Washington, DC

April 25 – May 25, 2025

VIEW ALL PROGRAMMING

INQUIRE FOR EXHIBITION CHECKLIST

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

This April, District Clay Center (DCC) is honored to invite you to a solo exhibition and weekend workshop with internationally-renowned artist Sergei Isupov.

Drawing from a narrative-rich art practice, Moments from Eternity reflects on Isupov’s life as a multinational dual citizen. Born in Russia during the USSR, raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, and education in Tallinn, Estonia, Isupov emigrated to begin a new life in 1994. Sergei’s recent sculptures and installation Past & Present capture the atmostphere in the wake of Russian aggression near his families in Ukraine and Estonia. Ever hopeful, Isupov’s work capture life’s challenges with universal human emotions, telling stories across time and place.

Moments from Eternity features the Empaths, Isupov’s newest group of nine free- standing “statutettes” created in 2025 for the exhibition and presented with selected works from Past & Present.

FIGURE: Form + Surface, the corresponding workshop, will allow participants to learn the techniques Isupov uses to sculpt these porcelain masterworks.

PROGRAMMING

Art Across Borders: An Artist Talk with Sergei Isupov

April 23, 2025, 5:30 EDT
Estonian Embassy
2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC

Join us at the Embassy of Estonia for an artist talk with internationally renowned artist Sergei Isupov.

Free | All are welcome

MORE DETAILS & REGISTRATION 

OPENING RECEPTION

Friday April 25, 6-8 PM
District Clay Center

Join District Clay Center for the opening reception of “Moments from Eternity” ​with Sergei Isupov! Attendees will hear Isupov discuss his work on view.

The reception will take place at 6 PM on April 25 at District Clay Center in central Washington DC. During the reception, Isupov will give an introductory artist talk and discuss his work on view. Following the lunch break on Saturday, Sergei will give an illustrated talk featuring images of his studio practice and feature select works from throughout his career. Both talks will provide context for the techniques students learn during the workshop. The reception and artist talk will be open to the public.

RSVP HERE

Illustrated Artist Talk

Saturday, April 26, 1 PM
District Clay Center

FREE | All Are Welcome

FIGURE: Form + Surface with Sergei Isupov

April 26-27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
District Clay Center

In this weekend workshop with internationally renowned artist Sergei Isupov, students will learn how to build form and develop surfaces to create a portrait bust in clay. The workshop begins with a Friday night public gallery reception prior to demonstrations and hands-on instruction on Saturday and Sunday.

Intermediate, Ages 18 year+

$540.00 | $486.00(members)

MORE DETAILS & REGISTRATION 

MEDIA

Art Across Borders: An Artist Talk with Sergei Isupov

District Clay Center and the Embassy of Estonia are proud to present an artist talk with internationally renowned artist Sergei Isupov. Hosted at the embassy in Washington, DC, Isupov is joined by Aari Lemmik (Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs) and Connor Czora (Creative Director at DCC).

“Art Across Borders” takes place in conjunction with Isupov’s solo exhibition at District Clay Center, “Moments from Eternity”. The exhibition reflects on Isupov’s experiences as an Estonian-American artist, documenting his life as a multinational dual citizen. Born in Russia during the USSR, raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, and educated in Tallinn, Estonia, Isupov emigrated to begin a new life in 1994. Sergei’s recent sculptures and “EMPATHS” installation capture the atmosphere in the wake of Russian aggression near his families in Ukraine and Estonia. “FIGURE: Form + Surface”, the corresponding workshop, allowed participants to learn the techniques Isupov uses to sculpt these porcelain masterworks.

DCC would like to thank Sergei Isupov, Aari Lemmik, the Embassy of Estonia, and Leslie Ferrin for making this event possible.

Viewers may learn more about the show at DistrictClayCenter.com/moments-from-eternity—sergei-isupov .

To learn more about Isupov’s work, visit SergeiIsupov.com . To learn more about the Embassy of Estonia, visit Washington.mfa.ee .

ABOUT SERGEI ISUPOV

Estonian-American, b. 1963 Stavropole, USSR,
lives and works between Cummington, MA, USA and Tallinn, Estonia

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramics using traditional hand-building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using colored stains highlighted with clear glaze.

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum Angewandte in Kunst, Germany, and in the US at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Fine Arts–Boston, Museum of Fine Arts–Houston, Mint Museum of Art, and Racine Art Museum. In 2017, his solo exhibition at The Erie Art Museum presented selected works in a 20-year career survey titled Hidden Messages, followed by Surreal Promenade e, another survey solo in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art in Minnesota.

02
Dec
2024
Sergei Isupov: EVERYTHING IS UPSIDE DOWN

Sergei Isupov: EVERYTHING IS UPSIDE DOWN

Everything is Upside Down
2024
repurposed maple tree, paint, wooden base

Permanent Public Art Sculpture by Sergei Isupov

On view at Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art, Cummington, MA 

Sergei Isupov, resident artist at Project Art in Cummington, MA, completed a carved wooden figural sculpture titled “Everything is Upside Down”. Over three weeks in Spring 2024, Isupov used power tools to shape the trunk of a sugar maple tree on Main Street, left behind after its top-half was cut down due to storm damage in the winter of 2024.

The Cummington Cultural District funded the artist’s proposal with an honorarium as part of the 2024 Arts Activation Project. As he worked, many members of the community watched and engaged with the artist in the progress. Once the carved figure was painted, and with help from other community members, Sergei moved the sculpture from its rooted base and installed it across the street at Project Art. It now faces Main Street, enjoyed by passers by and in dialogue with other public art along Main Street.

More on Project Art HERE

More on Sergei Isupov HERE

23
Oct
2024
SERGEI ISUPOV: Ancestor

SERGEI ISUPOV: Ancestor

Anderson Gallery

Bridgewater State University

40 School Street
Bridgewater, MA

November 1 – February 24, 2025

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Sergei Isupov presents Ancestor, a dramatic solo exhibition featuring masterworks of figural sculpture at Anderson Gallery at Bridgewater State University. The installation creates a dialog between Isupov’s large busts and figural sculptures along with a web of narratives woven through the work’s illustrated surfaces.

Invited by Jay Block, associate director of collections and exhibitions at Bridgewater, Isupov embraced the opportunity to be an artist-curator and fill Anderson Gallery with selected works from 2008 to the present. A brilliant colorist, Sergei elected to paint the walls a deep red-orange, offsetting and highlighting the fully illustrated ceramic sculptures. Isupov’s large-scale busts from his Androgyny series and hybrid figures from his Humanimals series are placed in engaging dialogs with one another, inviting viewers to reflect on the ancestral narratives within the works and through their own family history. 

“Sergei Isupov’s solo exhibition explores ancestral memories that are packed within narratives drawn from traditional myths, tales and legends. The stories are veiled, cautionary warnings of those mysterious things that go bump in the night, deeply woven and textural, fascinating in appearance and bristling sharp in meaning.” – Jay Block

Isupov’s Ancestor unites a collection of figural sculpture that shows the evolution of ideas in his work. As expressed in the characters he portrays, the sculptures’ interacting eyes and gestures activate relationships that are universal and timeless. Installed in a zig zag, this exhibition explores narratives from his past in dialog with the present, bridging memory and place in choreographed alignments. 

“Regardless of our backgrounds or wherever in the world we came to be, our shared experiences as humans are interwoven and passed on from generation to generation. The exhibition ANCESTOR allowed me to reflect on these works and my sources of inspiration and motivation … When I think of myself and my works, I’m not sure I create them, perhaps they create me.” – Sergei Isupov

Born into a family of Russian artists during the USSR, Isupov spent his childhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, educated in Tallinn, Estonia, and now lives and works in Western Massachusetts.

VIEW THE EXHIBITION CATALOG

PROGRAMMING

CLOSING RECEPTION

Monday, February 24th, 2025 | 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Bridgewater State University

Free | All are welcome

ABOUT SERGEI ISUPOV

Estonian-American, b. 1963 Stavropole, USSR,
lives and works between Cummington, MA, USA and Tallinn, Estonia

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramics using traditional hand-building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using colored stains highlighted with clear glaze.

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum Angewandte in Kunst, Germany, and in the US at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Fine Arts–Boston, Museum of Fine Arts–Houston, Mint Museum of Art, and Racine Art Museum. In 2017, his solo exhibition at The Erie Art Museum presented selected works in a 20-year career survey titled Hidden Messages, followed by Surreal Promenade e, another survey solo in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art in Minnesota.

INQUIRE

Additional works may be available to acquire, but not listed here.

If interested in lists of all works and series: Send us a message

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20
Aug
2024
ON VIEW | Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art

ON VIEW | Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art

Ferrin Contemporary exhibits artwork from represented artists and collections in the galleries at Project Art in Cummington, MA. View artists’ most recent works, installations from recent traveling exhibitions, and objects and artworks from artist archives and Ferrin Contemporary’s historic collection.

OUR INSTALLATION SPACES

THE SUMMER GALLERY

Ferrin Contemporary’s Summer Gallery is situated on the south end of Project Art and hosts curated exhibitions in a more traditional white-box setting.

Now on view in the Summer Gallery:

SHOWROOM

The showroom provides a more domestic, residential setting to view artworks. Works are displayed on both pedestals and period furniture, alongside a sitting area where visitors can peruse a selection of artist and our library of books and catalogs.

Now on view:

The Studios at Project Art exhibits small works by resident artists.

Now on view in the Studio:

30
Apr
2024
50 Years in the Making: Alumni Exhibition

50 Years in the Making: Alumni Exhibition

50 Years in the Making: Alumni Exhibition at The Clay Studio

June 13th – September 1st, 2024

At The Clay Studio
Philadelphia, PA

Featuring work by:
Paul Scott
Sergei Isupov
Lauren Mabry

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

INSTALLATION IMAGES

This Alumni Exhibition showcases artwork to reflect the current practice of the over 150 artist who have participated in The Clay Studio’s Resident Artist Program, Guest Artist Program, and Associate Artist Program over the 50 years since its founding. 

The artists who work within the walls of The Clay Studio are the creative engine that keeps the organization going and focused on supporting professional artists at all levels, emerging, mid-career, and established. We are thrilled to bring together over 100 of the artists who have had meaningful, sometimes career-altering experiences at The Clay Studio while also sharing their creativity and inspiration with our entire community.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

& FEATURED WORK

SERGEI ISUPOV

Sergei Isupov, Artist Portrait with "Lips Eyes Ear, Eyebrow", 2023, carving on plywood, ceramic, oil ink, 96 x 96". Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.

Estonian-American, b. 1963 Stavropole, USSR,
lives and works between Cummington, MA, USA and Tallinn, Estonia

Sergei Isupov, "Game Changer", 2023, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 17.5 x 8 x 6.5".
Sergei Isupov, "Game Changer", 2023, back, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 17.5 x 8 x 6.5".

Sergei Isupov
“Game Changer”
2023
porcelain, underglaze, glaze
17.5 x 8 x 6.5″.

LAUREN MABRY

Lauren Mabry, Artist Portrait in her studio, 2022. Photo by Ryan Collerd.

American, b. 1985, Cincinnati, OH
lives and works in Philadelphia, PA

Lauren Mabry
“Glazescape (Molten Cloud)”
Ceramic, glaze
16 x 23 x 11″

PAUL SCOTT

Paul Scott, Artist Portrait, 2022

English, b. 1953, Darley Dale, Derbyshire, England
lives and works in Cumbria, UK

Paul Scott
“Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, Philadelphia/06. 02/14/04/24.”
Transfer (screen print) on shell edge pearlware platter
18 x 14.5″

02
Dec
2023
Sergei Isupov & Kadri Pärnamets: MISS COMET | Cummington, MA

Sergei Isupov & Kadri Pärnamets: MISS COMET | Cummington, MA

Public Installation

The mosaic sculpture Miss Comet landed at Project Art in summer of 2022. Designed by Sergei Isupov, the 9′ sculpture was fabricated and completed in collaboration with artist Kadri Pärnamets. Now a permanent installation in front of their studio at Project Art on Main Street in Cummington, MA, the artists engaged with the local community throughout the process. 

Miss Comet was proposed for Reflections, a grant funded public art project to create new works reflecting on the land and history of the area. Working in late spring of 2022, the couple received donations, excavated shard piles at nearby pottery studios, and produced fabricated elements to articulate the figure’s features. Throughout the process, unwanted, forgotten, chipped, broken plates and other treasures, including “mudsharked” river shards were left at the sculpture’s base to be incorporated. Donations came with tales of family histories, prior ownership, unfortunate demise or abandonment. Ceramic shards include fragments of work by Michael McCarthy, Paul Scott, Mark Shapiro, Eric Smith, Mara Superior, and Connie Talbot. Part archaeology, part commemoration, each object tells a story and provides an opportunity to reflect on the present and history in this small but deeply connected Western Massachusetts community.

The sculpture is located at 54 Main Street, Cummington, MA 01026 and visible to the public. 

Ceramic shards include fragments of work by Michael McCarthy, Paul Scott, Mark Shapiro, Eric Smith, Mara Superior, and Connie Talbot.

Sergei Isupov and Kadri Pärnamets
MISS COMET
ceramic shards and mixed media
82 x 64 x 22”

More on Project Art HERE

More on Sergei Isupov HERE

More on Kadri Pärnamets HERE

Permanent Public Art Mosaic Sculpture by Sergei Isupov & Kadri Pärnamets

Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art | Cummington, MA 

24
Oct
2023
SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances

SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances

Oct. 25 – Dec. 9, 2023

Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery
Keene State College
229 Main Street, Keene, NH 03431

Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrows" & "Ancestor" (2023) with "Heritage" (2023) & "Busker" (2009) sculptures. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrow" & "Ancestor", (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances

Isupov’s artworks form alliances with one another as they move between media, explore scale, and are presented in curated exhibitions. Recent opportunities to create public works like his fire sculpture production and performances, along with solo exhibitions that show the full scope of Isupov’s creative versatility and process, have led to new works on paper, prints and wall installations combining ceramics with other materials. To create the signature work in his exhibition ALLIANCES, Isupov began with a square, eight-foot woodcut print created from two plywood panels, carving the image using power tools. His plywood carving and print installation bring together ceramic sculpture, assemblage, and printmaking practices and feature dimensional ceramic elements inserted into the plywood print plate. This display is flanked by two of his large-scale busts, and surrounded with sculptures by the artist known primarily for his ceramic sculptures.

MORE ABOUT HUMANIMALS & FIGURAL SCULPTURE

Humanimals is an ongoing series that combines animal features with the standing human figure. Lined up in a promenade in ALLIANCES, they zig-zag facing the same direction, following one another, led by highly detailed, cloaked figural sculptures.

Isupov first created works in the Humanimal series in the early 2000’s in his Richmond, VA studio. Beginning with a set of singular figures in groups, he followed with dual, four-leg sculptures joined together with one body. He periodically returns to the form and scale to explore new ideas or prepare three-dimensional “sketches” for his monumental, multi-part standing sculptures.

MORE ABOUT ANDROGYNY

Androgyny, the series of large-scale heads and busts, began during a residency at KecskemĂŠt, Hungary in 2008 and led to Isupov’s first solo exhibitions at Ferrin Gallery (Pittsfield, MA), Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (Mesa, AZ) and the Daum Museum of Art (Sedalia, MO) in 2009. His latest work in the series Heritage was produced in 2023 and is featured in dialog with select works from series in the artist’s archive.

More on the exhibition HERE

More About Sergei Isupov  HERE

Inquire  HERE

Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrow" & "Ancestor", (2023), with "Busker", "Man", "Midnight Son", (2009) and "Heritage" (2023) sculptures. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrows" & "Ancestor", (2023), with "Busker" (2009) and "Heritage" (2023) sculptures. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrow" & "Ancestor", (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Guardian", "Midnight Son", "Horsepower", "Soul of the Planet" (2009), and "Coffee & Milk", (2020). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Guardian", "Midnight Son", "Horsepower", "Soul of the Planet" (2009), "Coffee & Milk", (2020) and "Heritage" (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of Figural Sculptures, including (front to back): "Hidden Messages", (2016), with "Figural Sculpture"(2022), "Night Moves" (2019), "Butterfly Catcher", (2015), "To Live For" (2008), "Strong" (2011), "Game Changer" (2023), "We are all from the sky" (2014), "Close Your Eyes, Open Your Eyes" (2015), & "Amaco" (2015). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of Figural Sculptures, including (front to back): "Hidden Messages", (2016), with "Figural Sculpture"(2022), "Night Moves" (2019), "Strong" (2011), "To Live For" (2008), "Butterfly Catcher", (2015), "Game Changer" (2023), "Close Your Eyes, Open Your Eyes" (2015). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of Figural Sculptures, including "Hidden Messages", (2016), with "Figural Sculpture"(2022), "Night Moves" (2019), "Butterfly Catcher", (2015), "To Live For" (2008), and "Game Changer" (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation Title Wall, featuring the artist's tools and drawings from Sergei Isupov's "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrow" and works in progress drawing series. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Guardian", "Midnight Son", "Horsepower", "Soul of the Planet" (2009), and "Coffee & Milk", (2020). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Busker", "Man", "Midnight Son", "Horsepower", "Soul of the Planet" (2009), and "Duel" (2006) sculptures. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Guardian", "Midnight Son", "Horsepower", "Soul of the Planet" (2009), "Coffee & Milk", (2020) and "Heritage" (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrow" & "Ancestor", (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrow" & "Ancestor", (2023), with "Busker", "Man", "Midnight Son", (2009) and "Heritage" (2023) sculptures. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrows" & "Ancestor", (2023), with "Busker" (2009) and "Heritage" (2023) sculptures. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrows" & "Ancestor" (2023) with "Heritage" (2023) & "Busker" (2009) sculptures. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of "Lips, Eyes, Ear, Eyebrow" & "Ancestor", (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of Figural Sculptures, including (front to back): "Hidden Messages", (2016), with "Figural Sculpture"(2022), "Night Moves" (2019), "Butterfly Catcher", (2015), "To Live For" (2008), "Strong" (2011), "Game Changer" (2023), "We are all from the sky" (2014), "Close Your Eyes, Open Your Eyes" (2015), & "Amaco" (2015). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of Figural Sculptures, including (front to back): "Hidden Messages", (2016), with "Figural Sculpture"(2022), "Night Moves" (2019), "Strong" (2011), "To Live For" (2008), "Butterfly Catcher", (2015), "Game Changer" (2023), "Close Your Eyes, Open Your Eyes" (2015). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Installation of Figural Sculptures, including "Hidden Messages", (2016), with "Figural Sculpture"(2022), "Night Moves" (2019), "Butterfly Catcher", (2015), "To Live For" (2008), and "Game Changer" (2023). Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.

ABOUT SERGEI ISUPOV

Isupov is a master of nonlinear narration. Combined with his unmatched, masterful skills as both painter and sculptor, the resulting works draw from the past and reflect on the present.

Semi-autobiographical, Isupov’s intimate narratives interweave poignant representations of men and women, parents and children, shown alongside one another, their pets pointing to the naive sense of security we hold in our daily lives.

These works explore individual, interior landscapes and the continually expanding dualities of the self within complex psychological relationships. Intensely personal yet universal, these works in the context of the present day, remind and call upon us to value, protect and preserve the precarious balance we all stand to lose at any present moment.

Sergei Isupov, Artist Portrait with "Lips Eyes Ear, Eyebrow", 2023, carving on plywood, ceramic, oil ink, 96 x 96". Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.
Sergei Isupov, Artist Portrait with "Lips Eyes Ear, Eyebrow" and "Ancestor", 2023, with "Busker" 2009. Photo by John Polak Photography. "SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances", Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramics using traditional hand-building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using colored stains highlighted with clear glaze.

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum Angewandte in Kunst, Germany, and in the US at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Fine Arts–Boston, Museum of Fine Arts–Houston, Mint Museum of Art, and Racine Art Museum. In 2017, his solo exhibition at The Erie Art Museum presented selected works in a 20-year career survey titled Hidden Messages, followed by Surreal Promenade, another survey solo in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art in Minnesota.

PRESS & PROGRAMMING

OPENING RECEPTION

November 18, 2023, 3-5pm

Free and open to the public

Thorne Sagendorph Art Gallery
Keene State College
229 Main Street, Keene, NH 03431

“My work is about contrasts and relationships. I explore contrasts of human condition with my story lines such as male-female and human-animal relationships, and accompanying emotions of warmth and aggression, love and rejection, and nurture and abandonment. Dynamic and interactive narratives are developed using two and three dimensions at the same time with the sculpted form and painted surface. I use a visual vocabulary and classic tools of design, proportion, perspective and silhouette to both sculpt and paint. Eyes show emotional relationships. Facial and figural gestures develop personalities. Illusionary objects and perspectives suggest motion. As a viewer moves around the work, they see each angle and focus point leading to new chapters and story lines. Combined, these clues tell an overall story.”

EXHIBITION CATALOG

CopyrightŠ 2023 and published by Thorne-Sagendorph Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH

SERGEI ISUPOV: ALLIANCES
October 25 – December 9, 2023

Catalog Design by Erica Pritchett

All photos by John Polak Photography

Courtesy Ferrin Contemporary

Special thanks to co-curators, Paul McMullan, professor at Keene State College and Leslie Ferrin, director, Ferrin Contemporary and for editorial support by Alexandra Jelleberg, associate director, Ferrin Contemporary.

INQUIRE

Additional works may be available to acquire, but not listed here.

If interested in lists of all works and series: Send us a message

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