My creative practice is a spiritual ritual rooted in lived experience and guided by a philosophy of surrender. I embrace chance as a collaborator, allowing it to shape the work alongside my hands. Meditation and mindfulness are integral to my process; they quiet the mind, sharpen presence, and deepen my connection to material and place. My body becomes the tool, the earth becomes the medium, and unpredictability becomes possibility. Whether working alone in the studio or in collaboration with an audience or a landscape, my work unfolds as a dialogue between intention and the unknown.
Clay and soil are my primary materials. I am drawn to clay’s memory both literal and metaphorical. Physically, it records every touch, gesture, and manipulation; conceptually, it holds meaning, becoming a container for emotions and experiences that are otherwise intangible. I work with a range of handbuilding techniques, from ancient coil building to intuitive and experimental approaches, often pushing the material to the verge of collapse. I press clay into the ground, throw it onto surfaces, stretch it with my body, experiment with firing techniques, and at times incorporate materials such as glass or metal to provoke unexpected reactions.
When working on site, I integrate the land directly into the process by foraging soil and using earth as paint, taking impressions from surrounding surfaces, and firing work in pits dug into the ground. These methods invite natural forces into the work, allowing me to capture the essence of place through material interaction and unpredictability.
The vessel is a central motif in my practice not as a functional object, but as a metaphor for embodied experience. Our bodies, like vessels, carry memory, emotion, and story. Every curve, rupture, and void in my sculptures echoes the events that shape us. These forms become structural testaments to resilience and reminders that what does not break us makes us stronger.
Selected exhibitions:
2025 The Vessel. A solo show and a collaborative performance, 66 Greene, New York
2025 Losing Control: John Cage x Ilona Golovina, Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York
2024 Ancient Methods in a Contemporary World Vessels and Sticks Gallery, Toronto Canada
2024 Nova, Bossa Furniture, New York United States
2024 Cavin-Morris Clay Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York United States
2023 The Legends, Hammer and Spear, Los Angeles
Art Fairs:
2025 Salon Art + Design Armory, Park Avenue New York United States
2024 Salon Art + Design Armory, Park Avenue New York United States
2021 Salone del Mobile Superstudio Più, Via Tortona 27 Milan Italy
Residences:
2024 Denniston Hill Denniston Hill Woodbridge, NY United States
Selected works have been featured in The New York Times,
Architectural Digest, Domino Magazine, Elle Decor