Today we’d like to introduce you to Aleksandra Scepanovic

Hi Aleksandra, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

My journey has been anything but linear, shaped by unexpected turns, challenges, and discovery. I grew up in the former Yugoslavia, coming of age during the 1980s—a period of profound instability that indelibly shaped my perspective on reality. As a young journalist in the 1990s, I reported on the Balkan conflicts, a trying experience that revealed the fragility and resilience of the human spirit in equal measure. Amid this chaos, I sought meaning in the ruins. While the seeds of my creative identity were planted during those years, it would be many more before they fully bloomed.

In the early 2000s, I moved to New York City—a visceral and chaotic melting pot where I began to heal. Ultimately, it was New York where I found solace in clay, a medium that allowed me to express my reflections on identity, displacement, and transformation. Clay became my voice, its malleability mirroring my own journey of rebuilding and reshaping myself.

Today, I split my time between Brooklyn and Woodstock, NY. My work explores the human condition through fragmented forms, celebrating wholeness amidst fracture and transformation. Each sculpture serves as a bridge between my past and present—a testament to the resilience of continuation and the beauty of the unknown.

This year marks my first foray into sharing my sculptural work publicly. It’s been a deeply humbling and transformative experience, reaffirming my belief in art as a means to connect, question, and persevere.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It has been far from a smooth road—more like an unpredictable path carved through both turbulence and triumph. Even as I’ve pursued sculpture, there have been struggles: moments of self-doubt, the vulnerability of sharing deeply personal work with the world, and balancing creativity with the demands of everyday life. Yet, these struggles have been essential to my growth. They’ve taught me the value of vulnerability, and the profound power of connection through art.

Each fragment of my journey has contributed to the person and artist I am today. While the road hasn’t been smooth, it has been rewarding—a testament to the beauty and the power that can emerge from struggle.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

My work is rooted in exploring the human condition through fragmented forms, reflecting themes of identity, displacement, and transformation. As a sculptor, I specialize in creating pieces that celebrate wholeness amidst fracture, inviting viewers to find beauty in imperfection and strength in vulnerability. Each sculpture is a reflection of my own journey—a conversation between the past and present, the seen and the unseen.

I am most proud of how my work resonates with others on a deeply emotional level. Sharing my sculptures publicly for the first time this year has been incredibly meaningful, as it has allowed me to connect with people who find their own stories and struggles reflected in my pieces. It’s a reminder of art’s ability to bridge gaps, spark dialogue, and foster understanding.

What sets my work apart is its balance of raw emotion and technical execution. My sculptures blur the boundary between form and expectation, drawing inspiration from my experiences of migratory displacement and the enduring quest for identity. By enrolling the form into transformation, I aim to provoke thought and illuminate the beauty of resilience.

Ultimately, I strive to create work that invites reflection, challenges assumptions, and opens a door to deeper conversations about the complexities of the human experience. Through my sculptures, I hope to offer not just objects, but moments of connection and contemplation.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?

Something surprising that many people might not know about me is that before I found my voice as a sculptor, I worked as a war reporter in the Balkans during the 1990s. It was an intense chapter of my life, exposing me to the extremes of human resilience and fragility. This experience profoundly shaped my perspective and continues to influence my work.

Another surprising detail is how late I came to sculpture. For years, I searched for a way to process the turbulence of my past, and it wasn’t until I discovered clay that I found a medium that felt like home. Despite being relatively new to sculpture, it has become an essential part of how I explore identity, transformation, and the beauty in brokenness.

What also surprises people is that, while my work is deeply reflective and often deals with weighty themes, I find so much joy in the process of creating. My studio, for me, is as much a space of discovery and experimentation as it is one of healing and expression.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aleksandrasculpture.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atelierwdstk_hudsonvalley/

Image Credits

Photos by Artist