Lovers Box, 2025

Lovers box - 20x22x20 cm, clay, glaze, mixed media, 2025

Lovers Box is both a container and a ritual space where the memory of love remains even after its physical traces are erased. The architecture of the work draws from the ancient tradition of concealing secrets within walls—hidden niches where people once stashed letters, relics, and artifacts too personal to belong to the outside world.
The main compartment is designed for burning: its glazed yet unfired interior will transform in the process, capturing the very moment of disappearance. The final section—the sarcophagus of lovers—collects the ashes of what was lost, turning them into a symbol that cannot be erased.
This piece reflects the duality of love: the desire to preserve it, yet the fear of exposure making its safekeeping impossible. For me, the idea of holding onto love’s artifacts is tied to a deeply personal experience—my letters and diaries were often read by others without my consent. In this reliquary, created for Valentine’s Day, I offer an alternative: memory persists, even in ashes.
The visual language of this piece comes from the Vatican Gardens, a place where art and history safeguard traces of human emotion, despite the passage of time.