Artist - Rika Kova
One Happy Artist
During Desert Design Week this past April, artist and sculptor Rika Kova brought a striking presence to the Art + Architecture Home Tour with a pop-up installation at Maderos — Arizona’s first biophilic estate. Known for her organic ceramic forms and minimal yet tactile aesthetic, Rika’s work seamlessly echoed the natural materials and architectural lines of the home. Her pieces added a sculptural rhythm to the space, inviting guests to pause, observe, and feel.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rika Kova is an Arizona-based artist and sculptor who primarily focuses on ceramics. Her works include sculptures, lighting, and hand-made custom furniture pieces. Each is a combination of art and design, abstract and functionality. Rika was born and raised in a small town in Siberia, to a family of local indigenous peoples. At the age of nineteen, she immigrated to the US where she developed her artistic skills and received her BFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2022. Currently, Rika works and teaches ceramic classes in her studio in Old Town Scottsdale.
ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Earth. Surfaces is a collection of sculptures, lamps, and coffee tables that came to life after a year of experimenting with glazes. Each piece is individually crafted by hand, making not only the sculptures themselves unique but also the intricate patterns on their surfaces.
Imagine a freshly crafted blank piece before you. The glazes become the artist’s paint, layered one over another like an abstract painting. The true magic happens when the piece is placed in the kiln and fired at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. A chemical reaction unfolds, resulting in a one-of-a-kind pattern that cannot be replicated.
In this collection, the artists chose not to track the color applications or the mixing of glazes. This intentional spontaneity was an essential part of the process—allowing the art to evolve organically. Even when attempts were made to recreate specific colors, the results were entirely different, highlighting the unrepeatable uniqueness of each piece.
