Ilona Golovina (Stavropol, Russia) is a New York based artist whose ceramic practice is rooted in ancient techniques and guided by a philosophy of surrender. She embraces chance as a collaborator, inviting natural forces to shape the work alongside her hands. At the core of her work is the vessel - not as a functional object, but as a metaphor for the human experience, carrying memory, emotion, and story. Every curve, crack, and void becomes a testament to resilience and the dialogue between intention and the unknown. Golovina often works directly with the land, pressing clay into the earth to capture imprints of landscape. Her “soil paintings,” made with wild clays foraged across the U.S., preserve the raw, unpolished beauty of place. 2025.