Adam Pliszko
Basketweaver
Filipów, Poland
An artistic twist on hands-on basketry
- Adam is inspired by the Suwałki region
- His pieces reinterpret traditional basketry techniques through experimentation
- He sources all his materials himself from nature
Adam Pliszko used to watch his grandfather practise basketweaving, one of the many different traditional crafts that played an important role in his family. Over the years, weaving baskets was his creative outlet, but in 2023, he decided to devote himself fully to the craft. "Suwałki region and its nature are integral to my creative process, serving as inspiration and a source of materials," he says. Adam creates his pieces using coiling, cross-rib and braid techniques, which he constantly modifies through material experimentation. He selects, dries and collects all his materials firsthand, including grass, rush, bark and aquatic plants. "My work is a modern artistic reimagining of basketweaving traditions," Adam explains.
INTERVIEW
In 2019, I came across an online photo of a longleaf pine needle basket made in the USA. Inspired by this work, I created my first basket from black pine needles.
The connection between my craft and my region is a profound, inextricable part of my work. Each of my pieces includes plant materials from my surroundings, and each resonates with the place I come from.
I observe and create. Every day, an image is born in my mind. Then I consider what material to use and what basketry technique to work with. As I complete one object, the idea for the next begins to take shape.
At a workshop I was leading, one of the participants turned out to be a student of the renowned Polish sculptor and textile artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. We had a wonderful conversation about her life: it was an incredible encounter.
