Dirk Staschke

            Dirk Staschke is an American artist who creates ceramic sculptures of desserts. He currently resides in Canada. He graduated from the University of Montevallo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and in 1998 he received his Masters of Fine Arts at the Alfred University. His artwork has been displayed internationally all over the United States and even South Korea.

            His artwork is inspired by vanitas still life paintings of the 16^th century and the ornate décor of Baroque Art. His latest series “Falling Feels a Lot Like Flying” explores ideas of desire and consumption displayed by a banquet style of food. His artwork explores the consequence of desires and the social culture we have today. He uses the subject of food as a nod to wealth in that the ritual of extravagant feasts was done often by the rich. These decadent meals are appealing and yet at the same time repulsive. It shows society’s excessive consumption and gluttony. “My work warns against over-consumption, not for religious reasons, like the original vanitas, but more towards the idea that [our]consumption is not sustainable.”

            I love his use of texture to recreate certain desserts. His artworks show symmetry and tension as the sculptures look as if they are going to topple over at any second.