Victoria Bulgakova
selected metalsmithing portfolio
I was born and raised in Mariupol, Ukraine. My family immigrated to the United States in the ’90s, and I spent most of my years studying and working in New York City. Then life took an unexpected turn, luring me to Michigan through my admission to Cranbrook Academy of Art - an experience that taught me some invaluable insights, cost a fortune, and mostly sucked.
During my second MFA year, I met my bewitching then-boyfriend, now husband, who seemed to enlist some outer-world magic to convince me to stay in Detroit, where my studio is currently located. But NYC is my oxygen, and I can’t stay away for long—you’ll find me there almost every month.
I’ve worn many hats throughout my life: studied and taught classical piano, written a few critical essays on English and American literature (which thankfully not too many people read), designed websites, built financial and enterprise apps for banks (and was good at it), married a few times (a useful learning experience, which I do not recommend), managed tech projects in education (boring bureaucracy, with less money), traveled to a few dozen countries, took some half-decent photographs, cooked a few tasty soups, coached a few hundred people (career and many other things), led public events, and hammered silver, copper, brass, and bronze into submission—all consensually, of course.
Ultimately, no matter what, I’ve always been a fool for beauty. Whether or not my work accomplishes this, you be the judge.