ilia henaway
(ylia hena)
Based in Australia and rooted in Romanian heritage, I create original paintings and hand-built sculptural works that explore memory, symbolism, and transformation.Working from my studio in Sydney, I move between clay and canvas, creating one-of-a-kind artworks inspired by the landscapes, cultures, and stories of Romania, Dubai, Spain, and now Australia.
hand-built sculptures from clay, colour & forgotten things.
SCULPTURE
The Alchemist
This artwork is currently exhibited as part of the WILD exhibition at Lighthouse Arts Newcastle - NSW, Australia.
(23rd May 2026 - 12th July 2026
Being the first work in the Golden Barrel Trilogy, The Alchemist holds a quiet presence, reflecting wisdom and transformation through time and space.
Materials: air-dry clay, plaster gauze, acrylic, epoxy, 24k gold
Dimensions: 15 × 19 × 10 cm
Weight: 1.185kg
Emerging from the atmospheric world of medieval Transylvania, The Alchemist stands as a guardian of Hermannstadt, the “city with eyes,” where everything is observed.
Constructed on a cloth base reinforced with plaster gauze, the sculpture is carefully shaped by hand using air-dry clay. Encased in epoxy resin and finished with a matte sealant, the form holds a suspended sense of time and ritual.
Its surface reveals layered texture and acrylic paint applied with restraint, while fine touches of pure 24k gold leaf introduce a quiet alchemical shimmer.
SCULPTURE
The Golden Barrel
This artwork is currently exhibited as part of the WILD exhibition at Lighthouse Arts Newcastle - NSW, Australia.
(23rd May - 12th July)
The Golden Barrel anchors the trilogy as its point of origin becomes a symbol of gathering and hospitality.
Crafted in mixed media, this sculpture draws inspiration from Butoiul de Aur, a historic restaurant in Sibiu (Hermannstadt), Romania, reflecting traditions of welcome not only in Romania but into the spaces it inhabits.Materials: air-dry clay, iron mesh, acrylic, epoxy resin, 24k gold leafs, recycled glass bottle.
Dimensions: 18 × 16 × 21 cm
Weight: 1.481 kg
Though non-functional in intent, The Golden Barrel is structurally strong and can hold a wine bottle, reflecting its durability.
Built on air-dry clay and reinforced with iron mesh, the sculpture restrained touches of 24k gold leafs, echoing the quiet opulence of the medieval times of one of Transylvania’s most important trade cities.
Encased in a refined surface, The Golden Barrel becomes an archive of time, where medieval symbolism and contemporary craft, converge. It suggests preservation over conclusion, carrying the echoes of transformation across centuries.
SCULPTURE
The Hidden Vessel
This artwork is currently exhibited as part of the WILD exhibition at Lighthouse Arts Newcastle - NSW, Australia.
(23rd May 2026 - 12th July 2026)
The Hidden Vessel a symbol of wealth and mystical alchemy, this sculptural design reflects transformation, where material value is no longer merely hidden nor concealed, but elevated into symbolic form.
Materials: Mixed media: air-dry clay, iron mesh armature, acrylic, 24k gold leaf, epoxy resin.
Dimensions: 19 x 7.5 cm
Weight: 468 gr
A decorative object The Hidden Vessel continues the narrative of The Alchemist, moving from figure to form, as the third Golden Barrel Trilogy.
Hand-built and finished with pure 24K gold leaf, this piece draws on the symbolism of gold in medieval trade, carrying both material and mystical presence.
Designed on an iron mesh structure with air-dry clay, The Hidden Vessel is built to resist the strains of time while maintaining its luxurious and decorative purpose.
SCULPTURE
The Jewel of The Sea
This artwork is currently part of a private collection.
The Jewel of The Sea draws its existence from two enduring stories: the hope carried by Noah’s Ark and the sorrow held in the sinking of the Titanic.
Moving between preservation and loss, the sculpture finds its voice in the space where both truths meet.Alongside its symbolic narrative, it also serves as a decorative piece, shaped to cradle jewelry and small personal treasures within its layered surface.
Materials: Mixed media: plastic egg rack, air-dry clay, gauze, paper mâché, acrylic paint, glass beads, egg shell, epoxy resin.
Dimensions: 25 x 34 x 10 cm
Weight: 4.188 kg
Formed from a recycled plastic egg rack, The Jewel of The Sea becomes a sculptural reflection on resilience, memory, and transformation.
Modelled in clay, gauze, paper mâché and finished with glass beads, acrylic paint, and epoxy resin, the sculpture keeps sprinkles of eggshell to remember its origins and to mark new beginnings.
The shimmering ocean blues and crystal sparks on its surface reflect the human spirit, a spirit that keeps shining no matter how broken. In the end, The Jewel of The Sea becomes a symbol of hope and the quiet promise of renewal.
paintings created in oil, acrylic, watercolor and gouache.
paintings shaped by what i see, remember, and imagine.
PAINTING
Bran’s Fairy Tale
Part of the Strokes4Stroke 2026 exhibition (16–30 June 2026).
In this luminous, folk‑inspired landscape, Bran Castle becomes a place of wonder rather than history. Soft pastels and bold Fauvist colours reshape the fortress into a dream‑touched world where memory, folklore, and childlike imagination meet.The painting invites viewers into a storybook Romania and Transylvania, where myth breathes through the hills and the castle opens into enchantment, bringing warmth and fairytale charm to any interior.Materials: oil, water-based paint, and acrylic on stretched Canva, matte finish varnish
Dimensions: 60 x 90 x 1.5 cm
This painting reimagines Bran Castle through a whimsical, storybook lens. The castle rises on a gentle hill, outlined with bold, confident lines and filled with warm earthy tones.
A winding road leads the viewer’s eye toward the fortress, passing through clusters of stylized green trees and a small red-roofed house nestled in the landscape.
The colours are vibrant yet soft, giving the scene a playful, almost childlike charm. The overall mood is warm, inviting, and imaginative, transforming the legendary Bran Castle into a friendly, magical place rather than a dark or imposing one.
PAINTING
The Chained Sun
Part of the Strokes4Stroke 2026 exhibition (16–30 June 2026).
This painting captures the profound bond between light and dark, radiance and vulnerability, inner strength and endurance, wisdom and ignorance. The turtle holds the sun in quiet unity, reminding us that true power lies in embracing opposites.
Set against a radiant, cosmic wheel of blues, greens, and fiery center, the work uses rich, expressive textures and layered impasto to convey both vulnerability and inner power.Materials: oil paint on stretched Canva, glossy finish varnish
Dimensions: 60 x 45 x 1.5 cm
This work evokes the moment of cosmic creation, a star‑burst of light radiating outward like the birth of a universe and the Sun, inviting the viewer to slow down.
The turtle, a powerful symbol in Indigenous cultures, representing resilience, ancient wisdom, and the being who carries life upon her back.
Soft gradients and bold, radiant hues create a calm, meditative focal point, a quiet pulse of colour shaped by culture and imagination.
PAINTING
The Silent Citadel
Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, this oil painting reflects an era when physical distance transformed how we connect with one another. As cities fell quiet and communities became isolated, many of us remained connected solely through the unseen atmosphere of the internet.Using both sgraffito and impasto techniques, I built layered surfaces within the work to represent emotional atmospheres accumulated within ourselves, our homes, and our communities during lockdown. The layered buildings of the citadel reflect feelings of uncertainty, resilience, hope, love, distress, happiness, and vulnerability, as cities around the world were transformed into silent vessels of shared experience.Materials: oil paint on stretched Canva, glossy finish varnish
Dimensions: 62 x 82 x 5 cm
The dominant use of green throughout the composition reflects a longing for the natural world, reintroduced into an otherwise confined and constructed environment.
Above the citadel, interconnected bloom-like flowers form a celestial web inspired by the architecture of the internet.
These networks symbolize invisible technological connections, as well as the beauty of a “new world” that enabled communication, creation, and emotional balance during a period of deep isolation.
Rather than depicting atmosphere as air alone, this work presents it as a living field of emotional and digital connectivity that surrounds us, binds us together, and becomes a form of escape in times of distress.