A solo exhibition of new ceramic works by Anastasia Fainberg, titled Pretty Things, adds to November’s cultural agenda and carries a dual meaning. It presents the works of the artist and also marks the beginning of a new chapter for Myrianthe Sozou Studio in the old town of Limassol, where the exhibition is hosted after years of inactivity due to renovations.

Presented by Pauline Dobrogaeva, an independent art advisory and curatorial practice, the Pretty Things exhibition will run from November 19 to 22 and considers everyday objects as artefacts of the present viewed from an imagined future. Shoes, mirrors, handbags, perfume bottles and other familiar objects are recreated in clay, their recognisable forms gradually transformed by mineral-like surfaces and organic growths.

Everyday artefacts in clay

Each object is sculpted by hand, with mineral-like textures achieved through combinations of ceramic glazes. Stone-like formations and irregular growths are added to the already sculpted forms, creating the impression of objects undergoing a slow, almost geological transformation.

Many of these objects carry associations with femininity and the expectations surrounding appearance and self-presentation. Yet they also reflect a broader material culture in which everyday possessions accumulate meanings far beyond their practical functions. Through the transformation of their surfaces, Fainberg questions how objects might be perceived once the desires and social conventions that shaped them have faded.

Rather than disappearing, these familiar things enter another state – neither fully recognisable as functional objects nor entirely detached from their former identities. They become artefacts of an imagined future, suspended between the traces of human culture and the processes of the natural world.

A new chapter for Myrianthe Sozou Studio

The exhibition also relaunches the studio of artist Myrianthe Sozou in a way, as it makes its return to the art scene. With Pretty Things as its starting point, Sozou plans to transform the space into a gallery under her own name, dedicated to presenting her artistic practice alongside exhibitions and opportunities for emerging artists, including future open calls. Pretty Things will be the first exhibition hosted in the studio as it begins this transition.

Pretty Things

Ceramic exhibition by Anastasia Fainberg. November 19-22. Myrianthe Sozou Studio, 65.1 Ellados Street, 3041 Limassol. Opening night: 6pm-10pm. Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 11am-1pm and 4pm-9pm. Tel: 99-744412