Page 86 - Winter Issue

What processes or rituals do you engage in when creating your installations, and how do they reflect your
personal experiences?
All the things I make are a resolution, or more realistically a conclusion to a certain period of my life. When I was in the
timeframe of Diasporic Ether Eternal, a sculpture series that references my isolating childhood experience, I felt like I
was mentally regressing into my child self: I had deep distrust in people around me, I was scared of leaving my home in
London and was riddled with paranoia. So my project started like this, I was on a mission to make something, to bring
this feeling to life and get it out of my head. And it felt cathartic to do so. I sit with the bad things until I can make
something truthfully good out of them. Making things for me is the end of the work rather than the beginning.
How do you define the concept of "reimagined rebellion" in your work, and what message do you hope to
convey through this lens?
We’re used to protests being loud and destructive but I think the most brutal thing a person of our age could do is
acknowledge their vulnerability and fragility. When I say rebellion I mean surrendering to ourselves, remaining gentle
against all odds.
Your art is described as both deeply personal and accessible. How do you ensure that your pieces
resonate with a wide audience while maintaining your individuality?
I always think that as long as you’re vulnerable and honest and can convey that in what you create, it will be accessible.
Not all of us have the same access to education, however, we will always have access to our humanity. If someone were
to open your heart to you, you wouldn’t have any other choice but to shut up and listen, that’s just how it is.
Can you share a specific piece from your recent works that captures your exploration of human
experience and emotion?
heaviest 115 is a wall-mounted piece featuring an embroidery of a palm pointing downward, with threads attached to
the fingers. at the other end of the threads, there are wonky-shaped nails made out of glazed ceramic. In this work, I’ve
explored ideas of human connection and how it gets affected by social constructs through a lens of
personal experience. I delved into discovering their formation process by reflecting on my memories of childhood and
school years in Ukraine, finding out how post-USSR constructs were intertwined with my education, affecting my
perception of gender roles, desire, and conformity.
How do you envision your art evolving in the future, and what new themes or materials are you curious
to explore?
I always have this vision of building a sanctuary, sort of like a temple. I wish for people to experience spirituality outside
the constraints of a church, and art outside of the coldness of a gallery space. I tend to think from time to time that all
the work I make will at some point fill that space, and my dear artist friends will join me as well.

Ugly - Glazed Ceramic Stoneware, 2024

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