Svetlana Atlavina
Multitude of efforts
Ceramic, white unglazed fired clay
2022
I am a multi-media artist and educator who explores social issues deeply rooted within our
psychological being. I am a mother of two offspring and a grandmother. My art research connects to the visualization of art processes, empathy, controversial issues, and the role of women in society. ‘The Multitude of Efforts belongs to the project Lines of Reproduction explored correlations between natural forms and lines as intangible aspects of time, between memories of the pre-symbolic stage of development and the unconscious feelings from childhood. Thinking about infancy, adolescence, marriage, and motherhood, I created more than forty white sculptures. They were displayed over a long red surface allowing viewers to explore incommunicable feelings of growth, where female and male curves meet in space to reproduce the human race. The psychoanalytical part of my artworks is connected to my personal experiences and tries to evoke controversial memories in the viewer. My socially engaged practice is also connected to the participatory, immersive workshops providing recollection of memories, feelings, loss and grounding.
By creating objects from early memories, participants visualize emptiness hidden inside us that affects our present and future. I started art practice by volunteering for art workshops at the psychiatric wards of NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust. Through hours working with participants, I found that working with clay recalls memories and created the project ‘Lines of Reproduction’ inspired by women nurses and carers. In 2020, it was exhibited at the Atkinson Gallery, Somerset. After completing the Master’s Degree in Fine Art, I started working as an art educator for the charity ‘Women in Prisons’ in Brixton. During COVID, I was supported by ACE NLPG and NHS CPFT to design and deliver SVETTA, a project for virtual workshops for medical staff. My work exhibited in UK National and International Galleries and Museums.
