Sculptor, educator and researcher Liliya Cauchi is presenting her latest collection of work, Surface Tensions, at art..e Gallery in Victoria.
The exhibition, which opens today, investigates ceramics as a site of transformation where material and cultural histories converge. Through experimental approaches to clay, firing and glazing, Cauchi embraces rupture, erosion and imperfection as generative forces within the process of making. Rather than concealing marks of change, the works foreground them, allowing surfaces to speak of time, pressure and movement.
The resulting forms evoke geological and archaeological traces, as a metaphor for eroded coastlines, weathered stone and fragmented artefacts. Rooted in the textures and material language of the Mediterranean, the works reflect on both the fragility and resilience of landscapes shaped by natural forces and human presence.
Subtle variations in colour and surface invite shifting encounters with light and contrast, echoing the region’s spirit.
Positioned between vessel and fragment, Cauchi’s ceramic artworks challenge fixed notions of function and form. They suggest objects in transition, neither complete nor broken, capable of holding memory, displacement and renewal. Through this body of work, she proposes ceramics not only as a record of the past but as a dynamic medium for contemporary artistic expression and a reflection on evolving cultural identities.
About the artist
Originally from Bulgaria, Liliya Cauchi is a sculptor, educator and researcher based in Gozo. Rooted in ceramics and glass, her artistic practice investigates silicates both materially and metaphorically through rupture, reuse, and accumulation, creating forms that hover between vessel, symbol and landscape. Bridging applied and fine arts, her work reflects on cultural continuity and the evolving identities of Mediterranean landscapes.
Cauchi began her artistic formation with formal training in sculpture, followed by a bachelor’s degree in porcelain and glass design from the National Art Academy in Sofia. She holds a master’s degree in ceramics and glass design from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, with a focus on ceramic processes, glass technology and ancient glass history, including Roman glass-making techniques, and a second master’s degree in teaching and learning in art from the University of Malta.
She has participated in international exhibitions, artist residencies, and research-based projects across Europe and Turkey. In 2020, Cauchi was nominated for the Bulgarian national award for exceptional talents ‘13 Centuries Bulgaria’, and later on took part in the 2025 Biennial of Contemporary Ceramics in Bulgaria. Alongside her studio practice, Cauchi is actively engaged in arts education and academic research.
Surface Tensions runs at art…e Gallery at 1, Library Street, Victoria, until May 1.
