Ielizaveta PORTNOVA - Anthropomorph

The "Anthropomorph" series began in 2018. In this series, the artist turned to the material with the intention of expressing personal feelings through the form of an academic object.

However, Ielizaveta does not follow classical stereotypes. She creates her own style, incorporating previous developments discovered through her research into various surface treatments. Her unique palette — already an independent direction in ceramics at the time — finds a new form of expression in this series.

The bust format becomes the canvas that allows this palette’s potential to unfold even further.

"Ieshua" 2019

Ceramic, chamotte, modeling, glaze, engobe, palm branch,

electric kiln firing 1200 degrees.

634533 cm

Grand Prix ICBU 2019

"The palm branches that greet you may turn out to be spears that seek your death."

This piece was created in 2019 specifically for the International Ceramics Biennale in Ukraine where it received the highest award. The palm branches that are part of the sculpture's image were brought from Egypt, as the artist strives to incorporate elements of the places she explores into her work.

The sculpture bears one of the names of Christ and is pierced by palm branches — a symbol of the transient nature of time. Betrayal, in this context, is interpreted not as a random event, but as a natural manifestation of the world, following the law of the pendulum.

"Descendant" 2018

Ceramic, chamotte, pottery, modeling, glaze, engobe,

electric kiln firing 1280 degrees.

674732 cm

This is the first work in the series where Elizaveta applied her signature technique — using existing objects in the process of creating a new piece.

"Descendant" is an image resurrected from the archaeological fragments of the past. For this sculpture, the artist initially made replicas of Neolithic Tripolye culture pottery, which was historically located in the territory of modern Ukraine. After the final firing, these vessels were deliberately broken, and from these fragments, the new image was created.

Through this figure, we see a transformation: from utilitarian and sacred ancient ceramics to the image of a contemporary hero seeking to find their place in the present time.

"Curiosity" 2019

Ceramic, chamotte, modeling, glaze, engobe,

electric kiln firing 1200 degrees.

374327 cm

This is the first piece in the “Anthropomorph” series. For the first time, the artist’s experiments with glazes, engobes, and firing modes moved from the surface of panels to a form that seeks both to approach and to distance itself from academic sculpture.

The lightness of the surface may seem incomprehensible unless one delves into the techniques the artist explored in her research. The piece underwent seven consecutive firings to capture on its surface the porcelain and turquoise of her experiments.

Here, "Сuriosity" is not only a desire to enrich one’s inner world but also a hidden opportunity to share it through dialogue.