Artist: Oxana Geets – Character Stories

Three simple ceramic creatures. A dark dragon-like form with a green tongue, a light brown hedgehog-like creature which appears to hold a small bag and look surprised and a small brown bear like figure with open arms.

The Black Dragon with the Fiddleheads, The Hedgehog, The Squirrel in the Snake’s Skin by Oxana Geets (Photo: David P Rowan)

Oxana Geets creates sculptures that bridge ancient cultural artefacts with contemporary artistic expression.

Oxana was brought up in and studied ceramics the city of Blagoveschensk. The city is on the Russian side of the Black Dragon River, the waterway forming the border with China. Her work is rooted in her heritage, drawing on Russian folktales and influenced by Chinese design. From these twin influences she creates hand painted ceramic ‘creatures’ around which she weaves rich stories.

For Made in the Middle she has built five new creatures with their own tales which are shared below.

Oxana’s work is on show in Made in the Middle from January 2025 – April 2026.

A sculpture of a dragon looking from the tail. It is crouching down and made of very dark clay. It is simple and stylised with a greenish design on it's back.

The Black Dragon with the Fiddleheads

Representative of: Oxana, Artist
Origin: Blagoveschensk, Russia
Currently Based in: Lincoln, UK

The Black Dragon (黑龙) is the Chinese name for the Amur River, on which the city of Blagoveshchensk, my hometown, is situated. According to legend, in ancient times, a black dragon that inhabited the river and symbolised goodness defeated an evil white dragon that sank boats, disrupted fishing, and attacked any living creature.

My Black Dragon carries fiddleheads and has a fern-like tail. When I was a child, my parents and I would go into the forest in spring to gather fern shoots – tender, fluffy spirals. This was the first fresh greenery of the season in our region. I can still recall the incomparable taste and aroma of fried fiddleheads. For me, it is a symbol of my homeland.

A chunky ceramic spider made of black clay with large round eys.

Spider The Nomad

Representative of: Alex, Artist
Origin: Blagoveschensk, Russia
Currently Based in: Lincoln, UK

Every form of life on this planet strives to survive, and for that, it needs a comfortable habitat; this has always been the case and always will be.

Spiders are no exception. They are highly sensitive to their environment and often prefer quiet places with high humidity and gentle sunlight. However, the environment is ever-changing, and members of this species often move from place to place, building a new home each time.

The Nomad was no different. He travelled extensively, gaining experience and skills, weaving artistic webs, and making new acquaintances. He always left stickers with his drawings on the streets of the cities he visited, exchanged them with new friends, and took part in numerous collaborative projects before finally finding His place. He loved it dearly, built a cosy home, and was always happy to welcome guests. But when a fire broke out in the forest, he had to leave his beloved spot to survive. As a reminder of his past life and in memory of old friends, he kept stickers on his abdomen.

A white ceramic teddybear-like sculpture. A round body and round head has small cute arms and legs, closed eyes and a little round mouth. It has black, bean shaped balls in a line across it's head.

Miss Black Bean

Representative of:  Sophie
Origin: Seoul, South Korea
Currently Based in: Lincoln, UK

She was an energetic and restless child in her early school years, which earned her the nickname “Black Bean” from her teacher. More than twenty years ago, she moved from Korea to the UK. Her son is now grown and no longer needs help with his homework, allowing her to spend her free time on her favourite subject—mathematics. She often drifts off to sleep imagining herself at a maths exam, solving problems about black beans. The numbers in her notebook turn into beans and quietly scatter across the surface of the table…

It is said that seeing black beans in a dream may signify that you are about to discover hidden opportunities or resources in your life. Be open to new possibilities and ready to venture into the unknown. This could be a time of significant growth and success if you embrace the unfamiliar and take calculated risks.

A brown teddybear-like scultpure. A round head and round body have small arms and legs. It has a decoration of a snake which hangs a bit like a necklace.

The Quiet Hedgehog

Representative of: Olya, Artist
Origin: Murom, Russia
Currently Based in: London, UK

The character of Quiet Hedgehog was partly inspired by the protagonist of the animated film ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’, directed by Yuri Norstein. In the story, the Hedgehog wanders through a dense forest fog in search of his friend, occasionally encountering local creatures. For many, Yuri Norstein’s Hedgehog has become an unspoken symbol of a generation searching for like-minded souls while lost in the mist.

Quiet Hedgehog is a silent wanderer, passionate about travel, which has taken him far from his homeland. For now, he is in a contemplative state—exploring new places, cultures, and the habits of local inhabitants. Quiet Hedgehog arrived in an unfamiliar country, bringing with him everything most precious to his heart. He embarked on a long and fascinating journey through other countries, witnessing much and meeting many along the way, collecting memorable artefacts on his quills as tokens of his journey.

Will this be the end of his travels, and will he find a new home here, or are other lands still awaiting him? Time will tell.

A white cute simple hedghog shaped sculpture. It has cute little arms and has one hand to it's mouth. it's stylised spines sit flat.

The Squirrel in The Snake’s Skin

Once, during an English class, I heard a story from a Polish girl about how squirrels use shed snake skin to ward off predators. I thought that this was such an unexpected behaviour for a squirrel.

It reminded me of my own story and that of many friends who have recently moved to a different country. To survive, we had to show a level of resourcefulness and ingenuity we never expected of ourselves. I also remembered a beautifully illustrated book – the famous 12th-century Georgian poem *The Knight in the Panther’s Skin* by Shota Rustaveli, which tells the tale of a mysterious, sorrowful knight wandering the world in search of his lost love. As a child, I loved looking at the exquisite illustrations with the knight elegantly draped in a panther skin.

This inspired the idea of a brave squirrel wrapped in snake skin, ready to embark on an adventure. For me, the Squirrel in Snake’s Skin became a symbol of overcoming one’s own preconceptions about the limits of one’s abilities.



Where Next?

Stories of Making & Migration

Hear stories from ‘everyday makers’.

Two arms hold a large blue pot decorated with orange shapes. It is large and round at the top tapering inwards towards the base.

Made in the Middle: Artists

See all of the artists in the exhibition.

Three abstract sculptures. They are made of irregular shaped blocks of coloured plaster. They look very solid. The colours are bright and blocky, greens, blues, pinks and yellows.

Made in the Middle 2025

Made in the Middle tells a story of exceptional contemporary craft and design made in the Midlands.

Three sculptures. They appear to include found objects made from building material. They include rough stone shapes, twisted shapes and smooth glazed forms.

Made in the Middle: Learning Resources

Resources and activities to support you visit.

Pages from the guide show and artist in their studio and a page of text titled 'stories'.


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