Katarzyna Kot

Wood sculptor

©L. Frechowicz

Sculpting a tree of knowledge

Katarzyna specialises in combining wood with bronze and acrylic resins
She feels sculpture allows her to be true to herself
She grew up in Poland and studied in Krakow and Paris

“I remember one day when I was nine years old, I was holding a piece of linden wood in my hands, and suddenly I had a moment of illumination,” says Katarzyna Kot-Bach. Deciding she wanted to work with wood, she got hold of some tools and began to create. “The more I hit the hammer, the more I wanted to develop sculptural skills... I loved the smell of wood and its natural structure.” Now an independent artist working in her studio in Koerich with the collective Sixthfloor, Katarzyna creates sculptures mainly in wood and bronze, as well as installations and land art. She is also a member of the Association of Visual Artists of Luxembourg (AAPL) and of ARTmadeinluxembourg.

Interview

Why did you choose sculpture?: It is rather that sculpture chose me. I love working in three dimensions, being inside the material, interacting with it and transforming it. The process of creation has allowed me to become what I should be, it is a way of being true to oneself, of creating an artistic personality, an identity.
How would you define what you do?: I recycle and transform the wood, using fragments of different trees to create my own tree of knowledge. A curator once told me that I know how to extract the soul from the wood, which was a great compliment for me, because it sums up what I do.
How much of your native Poland do you express in your work?: I started to grow new roots in Luxembourg, but Polish sap is flowing in them. In the marriage of wood from both countries, I create a new territory, an affiliation to the places that formed me.
What do tradition and innovation mean to you?: Tradition is a synonym for the transfer of knowledge and culture from generation to generation. It is a way of transmitting universal ‘content’ that can lead to innovation. Innovation includes development, one of the most important elements of the creative process.

Katarzyna Kot is a master artisan: she began her career in 2004 and she started teaching in 2008