Jasmin Anoschkin's Unicorns, Madness & Stardust are just what you need in your life right now

Strikingly fresh in their playfulness (with a dash of My Little Pony), the Finnish artist's works are adorable and naive but have a deeper meaning to confront issues around diversity and how "different" beings live in the world.

Her latest series, Unicorns, Madness & Stardust – currently on show at the Hostler Burrows Gallery in New York – includes wood sculptures, drawings, and video, in addition to Anoschkin's more familiar fantasy hybrid ceramic animals.

On seeing one of Anoschkin’s animal sculptures for the first time, the gallery founder Juliet Burrows said, "The naive character of the animal was evident, but beneath the cartoon-like appearance there lay an intangible sadness and a soulfulness that struck me with great poignancy.

"The characters move beyond whimsy – they tug at our heartstrings and can cause even a certain discomfort in their pleading honesty and the way they have seemingly sprung from our innermost imaginings."

Anoschkin is a member of the Art Department Society of Arabia in Helsinki, and thus continues a tradition of centuries-old ceramic exploration that carries over into other mediums. Her work is intentionally malformed – there is no attempt at "perfection", which reflects the reality of the diversity in our world as opposed to aspiring to create an ideal.

Unicorns, Madness & Stardust by Jasmin Anoschkin runs until 8 November 2019 at the Hostler Burrows Gallery in New York. Find out more at jasminanoschkin.com.