Artist Statement  

I was born and raised in Sumy, Ukraine, my country's history and culture has always influenced my work as a ceramic artist. However, the horrific events happening to my home country have pushed me to work in different mediums to better express my ideas. 

Currently my work consists of three components; pottery, sculpture, and documentary, both photography and film. These three avenues of making are a direct reflection of the current full-scale and unprovoked invasion by my country's neighbor to the North.  

The color palette and forms of my sculptural wall panels are a direct nod to my love of paintings. Firing in a charcoal reduced atmosphere gives the surface a violent, sooty presence. The mark making and textures I assimilate mimic the visual evidence of destruction, such as shrapnel scars on sidewalks, walls of buildings, and urban playgrounds that I would play on in my youth. Peering through this atmospheric surface are drawings etched into the clay by hand, sourced from photographs and film stills from a recent visit to the country. I am inspired, saddened, and moved by a society that has adapted and endured these new and awful realities. 

Making pottery is a way for me to marry craftsmanship and function to the essential aid as a fundraising platform. As vessels for sustenance, my cups and bowls usher a sense of familiarity to the user while I use sales to financially assist in the war effort. A simple mug can mend broken homes, support families, and objectively help save a life.  

With these ways of making incorporated into my artistic practice, I aim to spread awareness, to share stories, be of service, and help deter the ever so common war-fatigue.