Blown glass, gold foil with hand-carved fish stamp

The work draws inspiration from Alexander Pushkin’s poem “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish,” a story that speaks of greed, desire, and the fragile balance between giving and taking. In the tale, a poor fisherman catches a golden fish that offers to grant any wish in exchange for its freedom. At first, he asks for nothing, but at his wife’s urging, the wishes grow from a simple new trough, to a house, a palace, and finally the rule over the sea itself. With every demand, the waves rise higher, until the sea reclaims everything and restores the world to its humble beginning.

The deep blue glass suggests the vastness and mystery of the sea, a realm both nurturing and unforgiving. Tiny bubbles are suspended within, like captured breaths or rising waves, embodying the fragile balance between life and desire. At the heart of the piece, the golden imprint glimmers as both temptation and warning, a moment of beauty that asks for restraint. Goldfish invites contemplation on how easily abundance can dissolve when the line between need and greed blurs.