Until 5 November 2025, Leila Heller Gallery is holding Elevated State, a solo exhibition by artist Katya Emelyanova, who explores sculpture as a vessel for emotion and intuition. Through bright colour, minimalist geometry, and a refined sense of balance, her art pieces invite the viewer to step into a meditative space: a state “beyond words and logic,” where perception opens into energy and awareness.
At the heart of the exhibition is Emelyanova’s Oliver People series, comprising stacked, cylindrical, and rounded forms evoking totemic figures, yet they remain deeply personal. These segments are embodiments of different types of personality, of human nature. When being watched, they channel the viewer’s mood and state of mind, and the sculpture becomes an animated object. The verticality of these “totems”, coupled with their smooth surfaces and vivid hues, creates a dynamic tension between fragility and resilience, simplicity and depth.
Rather than depicting recognisable subjects, Emelyanova distils emotion into pure form, treating sculpture as a language of feeling rather than narration. So, the exhibition offers a quiet, contemplative experience: a place to slow down, to sense rather than analyse, and to rediscover the simple act of being. Through her vibrant sculptures, the artist transforms matter into mindfulness: an “elevated state” that lingers long after leaving the gallery.
About the artist
Katya Emelyanova (b. 1984, USSR) earned a BFA in Art History from the Russian State University for the Humanities in 2006 and completed an internship at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, in 2019.
In her practice, which includes working primarily with ceramics and mixed materials, Emelyanova delves into the phenomenology of aesthetic experience. She seeks to elicit emotion and encourage direct, intuitive engagement with form and color. Drawing inspiration from Fauvism and abstraction, the artist transforms initial conceptual impulses into finely balanced, expressive compositions. She describes her sculptures as “capsules of luminous states — the energy of life that needs no explanation,” which underscores her interest in the interplay between material presence and inner resonance.
Emelyanova has displayed her works in various exhibitions and art events, including the Moderne Art Fair (Rarares Gallery, Paris, France, 2024); a group show at the Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery (London, UK, 2023); the Art Russia Fair (Moscow, Russia, 2022); a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) (Moscow, Russia, 2012); and the 4th Biennale of the Modern Art (Moscow, Russia, 2011), to name a few. Her art pieces are part of different private collections in Russia, the USA, the UK, France, Turkey, and the UAE.
For more information about Elevated State, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
Additionally, you might be interested in visiting Arranging Flowers by Gail Spaien and The Imaginary Museum.
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