Katya Emelyanova: Elevated State

“My works are capsules of luminous states, the energy of life that needs no explanation.” Emelyanova’s minimal yet precise lines recall the creativity of childhood, where entire universes emerge from small objects. Her training at Saint Martins sharpened this approach, teaching her to trust simple constructions when form is not function but voice, and when color becomes energy rather than decoration. 

Katya Emelyanova (b. 1984) is a Moscow-based artist working primarily in ceramic sculpture. Her practice channels a deep, authentic joy through simple yet resonant forms. Drawing on modular structures reminiscent of totem poles, her Oliver People series explores layered states of human being. Emelyanova studied Art History at the Russian State University for the Humanities (BFA), and completed a long-term internship at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. She has exhibited widely, including the Fourth Moscow Art Biennale (2012), Saatchi Gallery in London (2023), and solo shows at MMOMA and MAMM in Moscow. 

Dubai, UAE – Leila Heller Gallery is delighted to announce the upcoming solo exhibition by Katya Emelyanova, titled 'Elevated State’ opening on 3rd October, 2025. With ‘Elevated State’, Katya Emelyanova invites viewers to experience sculpture as an open channel bypassing words and logic, awakening a sudden understanding of the hidden nature of reality and offering a sense of inner freedom. Drawing on the visual language of totem poles, the sculptures from the Oliver People series evoke primal layers of human nature. Each piece is built from modular segments rounded, spherical, or cylindrical stacked vertically to form fragile yet commanding towers of color and shape. This multiplicity echoes the complexity of personality itself; the artist describes each module as a living embodiment of different states of being. 

The artist sees her practice as an exploration of Joy not a superficial lightness but a deep, luminous force that fills space with vibrant color and energy. Every series, every form she creates is an attempt to touch this feeling and share it with others. “I believe in art that speaks directly to a person’s intuition,” she notes.