Miłka Zaleska
Polish Ceramicist based in Copenhagen
Ravnsborggade 13, 2200 København
I seek balance between exaggeration and restraint - forms that hover somewhere between body and vessel, neither fully one nor the other. My practice begins at the wheel, but the work moves beyond it, pushing thrown clay toward something more sculptural, more ambiguous in its purpose.
I am a Polish ceramicist, now based in Copenhagen, Denmark. 
Working primarily with the wheel, my forms are guided by soft silhouettes and refined textures - balancing function with a quiet sculptural presence. The objects that emerge from my hands attend to be enclosed. They hold space and  possibility - not always function. Each piece is a quiet pursuit - a search for the perfect form, never quite arrived at, always approaching.
My time in Aotearoa deeply shaped my approach to ceramics, including an 12-month apprenticeship with New Zealand master potter, Peter Collis. This experience grounded my practice in traditional techniques and studio discipline, further informing my artistic vision and process.
In 2024, I was selected for the UKU Clay Awards exhibition in Hawke's Bay, celebrating innovation and excellence in New Zealand ceramics.
Since recently moving to Europe, my practice has partially shifted toward exploration of sculpture. I am drawn to dimensional forms - full, exaggerated shapes that investigate how structures emerge, transform, and exist in space. My work explores the relationship between organic and geometric form, evoking growth, tension, and movement.