ELISA SOLIVEN

Drawing on personal memory, natural remnants, and ancient iconography, Elisa Soliven’s ceramic works blur the boundary between portraiture and relic, biology and mythology. Her sculptures, perched at the edge of figuration, carry traces of vulnerable bodies: ribs become ridged patterns, vertebrae resemble leaves, limbs emerge from clay as if dredged from the seafloor. Built from coils, embedded fragments, and richly textured surfaces, her vessels and totems feel like artifacts from a speculative archaeology.

Soliven’s sculptures bear the intimacy of touch. The clay is scraped, gouged, and drawn upon, glazed only to highlight what is left raw. Her process trusts the material’s own voice, honoring its imperfections and history. In an era ruled by digital precision, her work insists on the handmade, weaving together echoes of Neolithic figures, tattoo linework, and daily gestures into objects that feel both ancient and deeply personal.

Elisa Soliven earned her MFA from Hunter College and her BA from Bryn Mawr. She is a founding member of Underdonk in Bushwick and has curated numerous projects including The Giving Body and Ancient Modern. Recent solo shows include Amphora Nights (R&R, 2024), Infinity Weight (LABspace, 2023), and Memory in the Shape of a U (Hesse Flatow, 2020). Her work has been reviewed in The New York Times, Art Critical, Two Coats of Paint, and Hyperallergic.

Portrait by Dana Golan