Malina Cipleu

I am a Romanian-born, Austin-based visual artist working primarily in kiln-formed glass. My background shaped my interest in how we perceive and relate to the world around us. Growing up in Transylvania, surrounded by forests, mountains, lakes and rivers, I became attuned to subtle patterns in the landscape. At the same time, I was often in my father’s physiology lab, where I encountered microscopic structures that echoed these larger systems. Together, these experiences shaped an early awareness of connections across scale, and of how much exists just beyond what we can immediately see.

Later studies in psychology deepened my interest in perception—how light, texture, and space influence what we notice, what we overlook, and what we imagine. My work explores these edges of perception, where clarity softens and experience extends beyond direct vision. I am interested in how partial information, subtle variation, and open compositions allow the viewer to participate in completing what is seen.

In my process, I treat the kiln as a collaborator. By working at both low and high firing temperatures, I allow surfaces to hold a range of qualities—from granular textures to soft, diffused transitions of color. These shifts create a bala...

October 1992 – July 1996 – Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2012 – Present – Advanced Glass Kiln-Forming Studies at Helios Fused Glass Studio, Austin, TX, Corning Museum of Glass NY and Pilchuck Glass School, WA

May 7-10, 2026 - The Other Art Fair Dallas
May 14-17, 2026 - Affordable Art Fair, Austin
July 29-Sept. 14, 2026 - Open Thresholds, solo show at Ghost Pepper Gallery, Austin, TX