SVILA

Emma Scully Gallery presents SVILA, a solo exhibition by Ana Kraš, opening May 7 and on view through June 13, 2026.

Named after the Serbian word for silk, SVILA brings together a new body of work exploring the material through functional and sculptural objects. The exhibition includes side tables, glass coffee tables, and panel lamps, each pairing silk with wood, glass, or metal to draw out its translucency, texture, and response to light.

Across the works, silk is treated less as a surface than as an active material. In the lamps, woven silk softens and diffuses light; in the coffee tables, it sits beneath glass, creating depth and reflection; in the side tables, it appears more directly, emphasizing its raw, tactile quality. As the light shifts throughout the day, the pieces change with it.

Kraš began developing SVILA in the weeks after the birth of her child, drawing on the feeling of being inside a cocoon: protective, delicate, and transformative. The exhibition also reflects a renewed connection to her Serbian heritage. After speaking only Serbian to her newborn, Kraš incorporated hand-carved wood elements made in collaboration with artisans in Bosnia, using a UNESCO-protected Balkan technique.

Following the opening, the gallery will be open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from May 8 through June 13, with additional viewings by appointment.