KIRA MELAMED

Some of my favorite stories to tell are about the circus. The circus world shows a combination of grit and glamour. The acrobats flying in the air, the spectators look up while the clown pickpockets them. The sideshow freaks are more genuine than the people who point and laugh or recoil in fear on the other side of the tent. The element of travel and being free, but in reality these performers are bound to the train as if enchanted to only be alive during the spectacle. These are just a few things I think about when I create these characters and try to describe the life they lead.

As a child in Moscow I frequently went to the circus. I loved everything about the circus; the clowns, the acrobats, the magicians, and the animal acts. It was a horrible realization how cruelly the animals were treated. Coming to America and learning about circuses here, I also realized how cruelly some people were treated as well. On stage it all looks so magical that as a kid I always imagined running away with the circus and traveling the world. What appealed to me most was the ability to see the world. Those dreams are dormant now. Instead I try to create my own circus of ceramic freaks and illustrated posters. I still hold out the hope that one day I will get to have the adventures I create.