An inquistive approach

Monika is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics
She is inspired by her global travels and residencies
Casting is her primary technique

Monika Patuszyńska was introduced to ceramics in the early 90s during a one-year course for artisans in Denmark: “I always warn people who want to work with ceramics to think it over. It is a trap that once you fall into; it's very difficult to get out. I haven't got out of it since,” she says. What distinguishes Monika’s making process is her approach to the material. A traditional technique of casting (often used in industrial production) became a way for endless expression. “I assumed that plaster and porcelain are not smooth. They were made smooth by man to create the impression that he had subordinated all elements to himself. So I started looking for the nature of the materials, showing casting marks and splitting the plaster to reveal its internal structure,” she explains of her creative process.

Monika Patuszynska is a master artisan: she began her career in 1999 and she started teaching in 2010

Discover her work

Discover her work

TransForms Plus/ Debris series

TransForms Plus

Genealogy Series 2

Genealogy Series/ Triangulation

TransForms Plus

INTERVIEW

After graduation, for many years I was casting ‘the right way’, until I felt boredom. I thought that it was time to leave behind the rules and start focusing on the material. The process of getting to the technique that I'm using now was to question the well-trodden paths.

I usually work on already existing plaster moulds. I break and cut them into fragments to create a new, modified form that will later be used for casting. All the details and casting marks that appear on the surface are simply a reflection of the plaster structure.

I like to tame accidents and coincidences. We often consider these to be mistakes, and we try to avoid them. But once we've learned how to make the mistake repeatable, then we consider it a technique!

I decided to work with porcelain, because it is the most rebellious of all existing ceramic materials. At every stage of the process it shows its claws and that it has its own character. I see it as a collaboration, where one side does not dominate the other.