Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Katsura. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Victoria is a professional artist who graduated from the St. Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design in 2002. The idea of making large interior pouf stones emerged from their resonance with nature and Zen philosophy. At first, they came to life on a small scale – as jewelry, brooches and souvenir stone pillows. However, they very quickly grew into an independent product: KATSU stones.
The word KATSU is the short version of Katsura, Victoria’s creative pseudonym. Only much later did we learn what this word actually means and how surprisingly and spontaneously, this puzzle of meanings has come together.
In 2016 Victoria met Anton. They have a lot in common. Victoria is a Buddhist who practices Tai Chi, and Anton is an Aikido teacher. They gently fuse Eastern philosophy and Zen with a love of travel and Western pragmatism. Victoria and Anton travel a lot together and are practically inseparable. Victoria’s artistic vision and Anton’s management skills fused into a single force that allowed the business to break out of their small workshop.
In 2017, their daughter Flora is born. You can see her in some of the photos. This is how KATSU gradually became a family business and a family brand.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
By the rules of the genre, this is the time for an obstacle to emerge so that our heroes could bravely overcome it. But ours is a story of evolved love of two mature human beings who have already figured themselves out. Two people who know how to give, receive and hear each other.
The main difficulty was not to create needless difficulties and to use the strong points of both to the maximum. Why call regular improvements, rush jobs and relocations “difficulties”? They are merely challenges that our team is successfully addressing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Katsu?
The idea of creating soft stones emerged as a part of our material world’s game of illusion. The shifts of matter from one state into another, the artistic game of transforming that which seems visually apparent into an unexpected tactile sensation, the disparity between observation and experience. The interplay of two perceptions – visual and tactile. Contingency, attractiveness, surprise.
In the process of making my stones, I am often immersed in the feeling of magic, of creation happening right in front of me, through my own hands, as the manifestation of the similarity principle, which is the foundation of our world.
What matters most to you? Why?
We start with silence. Our actions are not rooted in vanity or emotions. We simply watch.
We touch the inexpressible. The inaudible thunder of truth, a source of enlightened understanding in silence that leaves nothing in our memory for the mind to grasp onto.
We develop quickly, yet we do not push things. We want to fully experience every step on our way, to live and be fulfilled. We draw inspiration from nature and do our handiwork with respect and attention.
Our hands are also a part of nature. The part that nature can use to manifest its most beautiful creations. It’s very essence.
Like a gardener laying out beautiful parks, we try to sense the true and inexpressible essence of natural beauty and harmony and bring it into our lives.
THIS IS OUR MISSION
To introduce a vital natural accent in the artificial habitat of modern people.
Pricing:
- 150
- 163
- 185
- 347
- 755
Contact Info:
- Website: etsy.com
- Instagram: katsu.stone
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/katsu.stone
