

Lilach Mileikowski
Born: 1967
Hometown: Melbourne
Based in: Melbourne
Born: 1967
Hometown: Melbourne
Based in: Melbourne
Ceramic Artist Lilach Mileikowski’s passion lies within the manipulation of the form, challenging the limitations of the medium and its fusion with diverse materials. She presents ideas of personal, cultural and historical significance, bringing the poetics of the past into the present to question the future.
Migrating from Israel to Melbourne, in 1995, Lilach completed a Diploma of Arts Ceramics, followed by an Advanced Diploma of Creative Product Development, establishing her ceramics studio. In 2016 she completed a Master of Fine Art at RMIT University, her research focusing on the spiritual and political concerns of identity exploring the dual notions of fragility and strength.
Lilach’s work has been selected for prestigious exhibitions in Australia and abroad, including The Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award, The Victorian Ceramic Art Award Manningham, The Muswellbrook Art Prize NSW and The International Ceramic Competition Mino Japan.
Most recently she has been selected as a finalist for the 2021 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize NSW and the 2022 Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition and Awards Victoria.
‘There is an immediate connection between social systems and personal consciousness, each structuring and being structured by the other.’ * *Adler, J 1981, The Meaning of Things: Domestic Symbols and the Self
What inspires you?
Engaging with issues of culture and belonging, my work embodies vulnerability and fortitude. Reflecting on the basic need to connect and nature’s malleable way of reproduction, the forms are constructed by reiterated elements. The singular supported by the whole and the whole united by the singular, it communicates on a personal and global level.
Describe your creative process.
Working with clay is a continual dialogue with the form, exploring ideas through construction. The process is fluid, ideas evolve. To create forms that resonate with my concepts, I developed a framework in which a specifically formulated ceramic-body is incorporated within the construction. The work is built with a robust hand-building clay. Selected pieces are constructed with the addition of multiple layered delicate ceramic-glaze materials, textured-fabric, and steel-mesh. Screen-printed script is applied, and dry glaze employed to complete the form. The final sculpture is complex, in its ability to combine strength and fragility through the unconventional use of ceramic materials.
What are 3 words that best describe your work?
Structural, Multilayered, Poetic
Who are some artists that have influenced your work?
Antony Gormley, Zaha Hadid, Do-Ho-Suh, Judith varga, Amy Kennedy, Fiona Wong, Avital sheffer
What is the most important tool when creating your work?
My Hands
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Trust yourself
Where do you go for inspiration?
My origin background and the complexity of the middle east conflict. Nature. Ancient pottery and artefacts, books, films
1 Article
10 Contemporary Sculptors Who Are Transforming the Genre
October 20, 2022
Education
RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria
Australia, 2015
Chisholm Institute, Victoria
Australia, 2013
Holmesglen Institute, Victoria.
Australia, 2003
Vital -The Tel-Aviv Centre for Design Studies
Israel, 1994
Awards
Ron Rado Memorial Acquisitive Prize First prize
2013
Pat Emery Award First prize, Xposed - Exhibition
2004
Hand Built Pieces Award First prize, Holmesglen Institute
2002
Wheel Thrown Pieces Award First prize, Holmesglen Institute
2001
National Graphic Design Award First prize
1993
Exhibitions
The Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition
Australia, 2022
Yering Station sculpture exhibition and awards 2022
Australia, 2022
INnterior Small sculpture exhibition, Yava Gallery
Australia, 2022
The 2021 Muswellbrook Art Prize
Australia, 2021
The Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition
Australia, 2021
The Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize
Australia, 2021
Encounters, Skepsi Gallery, Whitehorse Artspace
Australia, 2020
Victorian Ceramic Art Award Manningham Gallery
Australia, 2019
The Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition
Australia, 2019
The 2019 Clunes Ceramic Award Exhibition
Australia, 2019
The 2017 Clunes Ceramic Award Exhibition
Australia, 2017
Victorian Ceramic Art Award Manningham Gallery
Australia, 2017
The 11th International Ceramic Competition Mino
Japan, 2017
Ipseity, Solo Exhibition, Seventh Gallery
Australia, 2016
Home Land Solo Exhibition, c3 Contemporary Art Space
Australia, 2016
Another World, Solo exhibition, Red Gallery
Australia, 2016
Grad Show - MFA RMIT university
Australia, 2015
Victorian Ceramic Art Award Manningham Gallery
Australia, 2015
The Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition Toorak Village
Australia, 2014
Victorian Ceramic Art Award Manningham Gallery
Australia, 2011