Gileva’s playful installation inspired by architectural ruins or garden follies features a central white column with crayon-box-coloured symbols marked in graffito that contrasts with three diminutive pillars where painterly green and blue glazes have been applied with an expressive hand. Whilst the scale of the toppled pillars keeps it light and humorous, the richly textured broken colonnade beckons the viewer into wander into an intriguing story.

Since 2015 after residency in Japan, Gileva (who trained in classical sculpture) has chosen to focus her practice on experimental ceramics that play with scale and the meaning of ornamentation. Her work is driven by a fascination with history and the cultural meaning of objects to explore contemporary renderings of material artefacts and their narratives. Utilising a mosaic of elements, meanings and materials she seeks “to assemble an eternal universe” of her own.

Orthostadt is built in stacked sections of stoneware, incised, painted and glazed.

Elena Gileva (b. 1992, Russia) began her artistic career in Saint Petersburg. After two years of studying classical sculpture, in 2009 Gileva moved to Paris, where she obtained a BFA at the Parsons Paris School of Art and Design (2013), then studied MA ceramics at the Royal College of Art, UK (2016). Solo and Duo shows include Echo. Elena Gileva & Nicolas Roggy. Galerie du college Marcel Duchamp, Chateauroux, France (2022); Fracas, Brussels, Belgium (2019); Cultural Landscape Part 2 Galerie de l’ancienne poste, Toucy, France (2017); Fount, British Ceramic Biennale commission. AirSpace gallery, Stoke-on- Trent (2017). Recent group shows include: Le vase comme vecteur culturel. Le Don du Fel, France (2021); Colors, etc. Le Tripostal. Lille, France (2021); Flowers of Romance III White Conduit Projects. London, UK (2021); MIC Faenza Arte Prize Faenza Musem, Faenza. Italy (2021); Royal Society of Sculptors Summer Show, Dora house. London, UK. (2020). Gileva has been the recipient of several residencies including: Residence La Borne, France. (2022); Shangyu Ceramic Centre, Shangyu. China (2018); Beirut Art Residency. Beirut, Lebanon (2018); The Florence Trust, London, UK. studio artist in residence program (2016 – 2017); The Shigaraki Ceramics Cultural Park, Shiga, Japan. artist in residence program (2014) and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Yorkshire, UK. collaboration residency with Anton Burdakov (2015).