Around the world with ceramics

Hanna specialises in the openwork casting of ceramics
She brings together ceramics and archaeology
Her craft encourages her to travel to international exhibitions

Born into a family of ceramicists, Hanna Miadzvedzeva was fascinated by clay’s transformative properties since childhood. She graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts and taught ceramics there for seven years. Today, Hanna is based in Poland, running a small workshop in the utility building of her house. She treats the craft as an artistic language for self-expressing. "I compare my creative process with that of an architect. My work embodies feelings associated with being present in a certain space," Hanna says. She specialises in openwork casting and makes textures from porcelain and stoneware. An interesting aspect of Hanna's approach is blending craftsmanship and archaeology, as she uses a tripod system from the neolithic and early Bronze Age to shape her landscape sculptures.

Hanna Miadzvedzeva is a master artisan: she began her career in 2013 and she started teaching in 2014

Discover her work

Discover her work

Winter Landscape

November

The Twilight Landscape

Rainy day

The Autumn Landscape

INTERVIEW

In addition to loving the direct interaction with the material in all its aspects, I was surprised to discover that my work encourages travel. There are many international ceramics-related events around the world, and I love to explore our planet.

I start with taking a walk in nature. Then, I make sketches, models and testers. This is followed by the actual process of creating the sculpture. It usually begins with hand modelling the basic form and a very long process of applying a drip structure to the surface, layer by layer.

I remember a very unexpected moment when my colleague at a symposium placed a large sculpture made of unsuitable clay in a wood fired kiln. When we opened the kiln, there was an empty space, and puddles of clay were dripping down the shelves.

I moved from Belarus to Poland, and setting up a workshop was not easy. For the first few years, I worked at home and in artist residencies. Now, I have a small workshop in the utility building next to my house. I plan to expand it as I move on with home renovation.