August 28 – September 11, 2024
Eternal Sistering
A sistering of time
By Meg Duguid
The past, present, and future are so intertwined that they exist almost simultaneously. While the Trypillia-Cucuteni civilization thrived over 5,000 years ago, the forms, rituals, and physical materials it produced are gone, yet infused into our present. In turn, the land where this civilization once stood is, in the present, being reduced back to rubble—material that will, in the future, take on new life and serve new purposes. This constant regeneration is palpable in Christina Sadovnikov’s The Sistering Spring.
For this exhibition, Sadovnikov centers her work on the conjoined ritual vessel, recalling vessels created during the height of the Trypillia-Cucuteni civilization in what is now modern-day Ukraine. Drawing inspiration from these ancient forms, she incorporates motifs from folklore and the histories of both Ukraine and American Appalachia, regions connected to her own family lineage. In these stories, birds feature prominently, creating a natural connection for her work to find a place within the Bird Show ecosystem. One Ukrainian creation myth tells of birds—particularly doves or pigeons—diving to the ocean’s depths to retrieve golden granules of sand, from which land was formed. In another Appalachian myth, farmers recount how ravens were seen as omens from the spirit world, signaling the arrival of something beneficial, such as an impending rainstorm.
Sadovnikov’s practice is rooted in creation and the unknown becoming knowable through many forms. While she engages in metalwork, sculpture, performance, and installation, drawing lies at the core of her work. Throughout her practice, sketches emerge from curiosity, revealing connections to research, the world’s hidden horrors, and its vast secrets. Marks, loosely placed on real-world objects, seem to alter or change the very essence of these objects. And why not? Why can’t these drawings affect the actual world? After all, borders are merely lines drawn on a map, and maps are lines used to translate what we see. Each one, while somewhat accurate, leaves behind something essential—a sense of the spirit within.
Sadovnikov’s nebulous lines evolve into fully formed, living and breathing objects. The Sistering Spring is a cage-like metal structure in which clumps of seed rest at the bottom for the birds. It is a simple yet effective drawing manifested into a conjoined pouring vessel, serving as a portal to the spirit world while reckoning with both the past and future. Birds and animals may enter, leaving microscopic traces of themselves, and exit carrying fragments of food into the future, seeding the world with remnants of the past. Sadovnikov embodies an understanding of the fine line that separates the past and future, and all the complexities of truth and spirit that reside within.
Her work explores fragmented identities and borders, focusing not only on displacement and loss, but also on renewal and healing. Through her conjoined vessels, Sadovnikov examines the collapse of old systems and the potential for new ones to emerge, raising questions about continuity in the face of cultural evaporation. Can something be carried forward when its tangible forms have disappeared? There is often too much of the past to grasp fully. It is impossible to gauge the importance of everything, and only certain fragments of matter remain intact enough to be preserved for history. So many mystic truths lie hidden in the dust that makes up the nuts and berries of our existence.
A sistering of knowledge
Sadovnikov’s conjoined vessel features two functional pouring pots fused at the lips, like sisters sharing secrets. Pouring pots, whether pitchers, jugs, ewers, or creamers, serve as intermediaries. They transport liquids from their source—be it nature, production, or storage—into our living spaces, moving from the well or faucet to the table or altar. In doing so, the liquid is transformed from a basic substance into something cultural and specific, coupling the everyday and the extraordinary.
At the core of Sadovnikov’s practice is a deep inquiry into this fusion and the alternative forms of knowledge it creates. This knowledge may not be scientifically justified but is deeply rooted in intuitive and cultural understanding. Her vessels act as sites where this knowledge is preserved, maintained, and disseminated, ensuring that the stories and wisdom of past generations are not lost but carried forward into future contexts. By functioning as both material objects and performance pieces, her work challenges the very nature of containers and containment, prompting a consideration of whether the act of either containing or pouring out is, in fact, the most significant feature of a vessel.
Sadovnikov’s conjoined vessels, like sisters, act as portals, offering access to hidden parts of the cosmos. They invite close observation, yet remain elusive, keeping their vast, diminutive dimensions close. Whether these portals serve as guides for wayfaring or grounding, they remind us of the magic already present if we take the time to sense it.
The Sistering Spring teems with life, pointing to a perennial cycle—an eternal sistering that evokes a moment hungry for connection, where land meets body and intersects with a plane of perception that orients how we navigate the stories shaping our worlds. In its beautiful, messy materiality, it is both politically charged and impossible to fully grasp, serving as both an anchor and a portal, grounding us while propelling us toward both the familiar and the unknown. The closer we look, the stranger—and yet more familiar—it becomes.