About

In my work, I aim to convey the vulnerable beauty of a humble object. A beauty that is partially obstructed, or constrained by the geometry of outer surfaces, or layers of decoration. I rely on the contrast of the materials, swift sgraffito lines, the contrast of external and internal surfaces to capture vulnerability, and the tenacious nature of a ceramic vessel.

I grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine, which back then was under Soviet rule, and since the mid-nineties, I lived in Scotland and then in the United States. Undermined health and realities of totalitarian state led to a rather solitary childhood made me attentive to simple beauty. The beauty of winter light, silhouettes of bare trees in winter, rough edges of bark, bits and pieces of poems stuck in my head, created an inner space and a subtle frame, a sanctuary that carried me through the darkest moments of my life: a long row of medical treatments, questioning by KGB, challenges of immigration. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the genocide that followed it, made me search for a visual vocabulary that would allow expressing the burning pain of loss, despair, anger, and the spirit of resilience. There are two projects that yielded by the need to convey these experiences and my hopes. “Ruins” is a series of abstract sculptures exploring an idea of a labyrinth of sensual broken forms and tension between chaos and structure. “ Guardian Passage” is an installation rooted in Ukrainian mythology and poetry. https://guardianpassage.web.app/