Becoming The Self

Becoming The Self (І, ІІ, ІІІ, ІV) is a modular ceramic sculpture conceived as a self-portrait that extends beyond individual identity toward a collective condition. Composed of large-scale ceramic bricks arranged in a reconfigurable structure, the work approaches becoming not as a fixed state, but as an ongoing process shaped by pressure, vulnerability, and endurance.

Some bricks bear visible cracks or deformations produced through deliberate testing of the material's limits during production. These fractures are not signs of failure, but material records of stress endured. Despite visible damage, many elements remain intact, holding resilience and fragility in tension.

Some bricks remain blank, functioning as unmarked surfaces or open fields, while others incorporate text and mark-making. Poetry by Ukrainian and international authors appears alongside the artist's own writing and gestures. Language functions not as surface inscription, but as internal support, holding memory and lived experience within the structure itself.

While rooted in autobiography, the work reflects a shared condition shaped by sustained rupture: the necessity to continue building while damage remains visible. Designed to change over time, Becoming The Self is from time to time reconfigured through a live performance framing rebuilding as an open, ongoing process rather than a resolved form.