BIO
Alena Mukhina’s ceramic sculptures explore transformation—not as a singular event, but as a continuous, layered process. Her biomorphic forms emerge from clay that resists finality, shaped by time, touch, and tension. Deeply textured and unglazed, her surfaces retain the raw, natural tones of the material itself, often infused with fragments of previously fired ceramics. This practice—mixing the old into the new—embodies a quiet philosophy of renewal and return.
For Mukhina, clay is a medium of impermanence and reconstruction. Her works capture transitional states: gestures paused, forms in flux, structures that suggest movement even in stillness. Themes of identity, aging, and migration are not illustrated, but felt—etched into every crack, layer, and edge. Her sculptures become tactile reflections of life’s evolving nature, where fragility and resilience are inseparable, and nothing is ever truly finished.
Since 2018 Alena has been an active part of the international ceramic community: she participated in a number of group shows, in Germany, France, Netherlands, Latvia, United Kingdom. Her works were shown in international fairs of contemporary art Cosmoscow in 2021, 2022, Blazar 2022, Collect London 2025. She also participated in the 6th International Ceramic Art Symposium at Mark Rothko Art Centre.
Now lives and works in the UK.
Alena Mukhina’s ceramic sculptures explore transformation—not as a singular event, but as a continuous, layered process. Her biomorphic forms emerge from clay that resists finality, shaped by time, touch, and tension. Deeply textured and unglazed, her surfaces retain the raw, natural tones of the material itself, often infused with fragments of previously fired ceramics. This practice—mixing the old into the new—embodies a quiet philosophy of renewal and return.
For Mukhina, clay is a medium of impermanence and reconstruction. Her works capture transitional states: gestures paused, forms in flux, structures that suggest movement even in stillness. Themes of identity, aging, and migration are not illustrated, but felt—etched into every crack, layer, and edge. Her sculptures become tactile reflections of life’s evolving nature, where fragility and resilience are inseparable, and nothing is ever truly finished.
Since 2018 Alena has been an active part of the international ceramic community: she participated in a number of group shows, in Germany, France, Netherlands, Latvia, United Kingdom. Her works were shown in international fairs of contemporary art Cosmoscow in 2021, 2022, Blazar 2022, Collect London 2025. She also participated in the 6th International Ceramic Art Symposium at Mark Rothko Art Centre.
Now lives and works in the UK.
Artist statement
I am an artist specializing in highly- textured ceramic sculptures.
My objects combine biomorphic forms with complex multi-layered surfaces. Praising the material of ceramics I use non traditional techniques to avoid texture overlap and stay with deep natural colors of clay itself.
I am interested in human self-identification, all about the problem of human transformation, studying it as a complex multidimensional phenomenon.
I find it to be crucial to tackle this matter in order to normalize the discussion about this issue within the art context and beyond it. Since 2019 I have been working on the project “There's a reason I’m here “, where I aim to lead the viewer through the
process of overcoming the crisis, talking openly about the matter and interacting with young mothers going through postpartum depression. The project was shown during a solo exhibition «There's a reason I'm here», ADH Studio in 2022.
“London raw clay project” happened in 2023 . Objects are made of wild, unfired clay excavated during the construction of HS2- high-speed railway line in England. By showing unfired ceramic objects I draw attention to the immanent connection between the spirit of a place and the UK's most gigantic transport network project nowadays.
In my practice I come to the topic of my research through intuitive making: sometimes images that I create embody the issues I am yet unable to verbalize. This principle is most strongly reflected in the project “Guts” which raises the issues of migrants and symbolizes their unifying hope.
I am an artist specializing in highly- textured ceramic sculptures.
My objects combine biomorphic forms with complex multi-layered surfaces. Praising the material of ceramics I use non traditional techniques to avoid texture overlap and stay with deep natural colors of clay itself.
I am interested in human self-identification, all about the problem of human transformation, studying it as a complex multidimensional phenomenon.
I find it to be crucial to tackle this matter in order to normalize the discussion about this issue within the art context and beyond it. Since 2019 I have been working on the project “There's a reason I’m here “, where I aim to lead the viewer through the
process of overcoming the crisis, talking openly about the matter and interacting with young mothers going through postpartum depression. The project was shown during a solo exhibition «There's a reason I'm here», ADH Studio in 2022.
“London raw clay project” happened in 2023 . Objects are made of wild, unfired clay excavated during the construction of HS2- high-speed railway line in England. By showing unfired ceramic objects I draw attention to the immanent connection between the spirit of a place and the UK's most gigantic transport network project nowadays.
In my practice I come to the topic of my research through intuitive making: sometimes images that I create embody the issues I am yet unable to verbalize. This principle is most strongly reflected in the project “Guts” which raises the issues of migrants and symbolizes their unifying hope.