Artist Statement

My current body of work is titled Between Punk and Baroque. It consists of vases and chalices that begin on the wheel but are then radically altered. My goal is to create contrast and tension between controlled classical forms and accidental gestures, questioning where the “useful object” ends and “sculpture” begins.

I “break” or “reboot” traditional forms, turning them into sites of collision or evidence of geological events. I stretch and tear them, leaving them imperfect, unbalanced, and unsure of their own gravity. I hope the tension between controlled form and clay debris positions them somewhere between baroque exuberance and geological collapse, marrying porcelain tradition with twenty-first-century violence and chaos.

In some pieces, I incorporate plants from my garden, which shifts their character. They begin to resemble artifacts, carrying traces of recovery, suggesting healing, and moving into new territory.

Artist Bio

I was born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, where I took drawing and painting classes as a teenager. In 1994, I immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City, where I studied at Parsons School of Design and worked as a graphic designer. In 2018, I joined Brick House Ceramics Center in Long Island City and began taking ceramics workshops. I started working with clay as a way to reconnect with my inner self and escape the monotony of the computer screen. I was also eager to explore the relationship between ceramics and sculpture, experimenting with different materials and techniques. In 2021, my family moved to Stamford, Connecticut, and I became an Associate Artist at the Clay Art Center.