Tania Radda

wood sculpture


Born, Tania Stupakoff, on 7/15/1965 in Ville Neuve Sur Lot, France. She was raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her father is Otto Stupakoff a well renowned fashion photographer. Tania's rearing always involved the arts. Her parents were avid art collectors. Her uncle was an art dealer who introduced her to the many facets of the art world. She moved to the United States in 1985, and in 1989 married Hank Radda.


Even though art was a very strong part of her life, it took Tania a while to finally engage in the arts as a career. In 1996 she decided to pursue a degree at Arizona State University. She completed her BFA in 2000 and continued her education with an MFA, graduating in 2003. Tania studied under Tom Eckert, professor for the Wood Program at ASU, and had the guidance of Kurt Weiser, professor of ceramics, and Clare Verstegen, professor of Fibers, as members of her committee. Today Tania is an adjunct faculty at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona, where she shares her love for the arts and her expertise in woodworking with her students.

 

 

Life Forms


These sculptures take on lifelike forms derived from nature, where insects, plants and animals are presented in larger scale, enabling the viewer to experience a different perspective.
Sometimes my work makes reference to ordinary objects that I find appealing; while in other cases it ponders issues that interest me. The work has a cartoonish quality at times, which reflects my love for the world of cartoons and fantasy- a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, where clichés are explored, and where the absurd becomes the norm.


I have always been fascinated with mankind's persistence in exploring the natural wonders of this world. I enjoy reading and exploring books about animals, insects, plants, and any kind of life. Growing up in Brazil, I experienced up close the fascinating aspects of nature and today I find that by sculpting these pieces, I can continue to explore and study these wonderful life forms. This process keeps my mind open to new discoveries while feeding my spirit with inspiration that keeps me going as an artist.


In my new series “Where is Babo?” I pay homage to my uncle Babo (Oswaldo), an art dealer, who opened so many doors and helped me discover the artistic world. This is where the world of “James and the Giant Peach” discovers the world of “Where is Waldo?” I use plants to create an environment that sometimes is inhabited by this small creature I call “Babo”.

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