Ivana Poliakova
Sculpture
Ivana Poliakova (b. Odesa, Ukraine) is an artist and ceramicist, founder of the project Sercetvir, created in his hometown with the aim of recovering and reinterpreting Ukrainian ceramic traditions from a contemporary perspective.
With a degree in Philosophy from Mechnikov National University II in Odesa (2015–2019), Ivana combines cultural and historical research with artisanal practice. Her work positions ceramics as a medium capable of connecting past and present, while exploring questions of memory, identity, and cultural transmission.
Her practice is characterized by a slow, attentive, and fully handmade production, in which each piece is unique and reflects a process of careful dedication. Traditional forms and ornaments, floral motifs, crosses, and tree-of-life symbols appear throughout her work, evoking both cultural continuity and a symbolic, spiritual dimension.
Statement
I am an artist and the founder of Sercetvir, a project born in Odesa dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind, handcrafted ceramic works. My practice is rooted in cultural and historical research, reimagining traditional Ukrainian forms through a contemporary language.
For me, clay is more than a material; it is a living medium that connects past and present, capable of carrying memory and opening paths toward the future. I work slowly and attentively, engaging with each stage of the process as a way of transforming utilitarian objects into vessels of tenderness, intimacy, and emotion.
Ukrainian tradition appears in my work through ornaments and symbols such as floral motifs, crosses, and trees of life, evoking cultural continuity alongside a symbolic and spiritual dimension connected to fertility, beauty, and abundance.
In the context of war, creation has become my response to destruction. Each piece stands as an act of resistance and care, affirming the persistence of Ukrainian culture while allowing it to resonate beyond its place of origin.
