Monika Sosnowska
Monika Sosnowska (born 1972)
Educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań with postgraduate studies completed in Amsterdam, Monika Sosnowska is renowned for her installations that intriguingly blur the lines between sculpture and architectural space design. Her works reflect on the Eastern European post-war modernisation narrative, often incorporating elements such as reinforcing bars and aesthetic “quotations” from the austere, socialist-era architecture—like plastic-coated stair handrails. Sosnowska’s sculptures challenge conventional viewing habits, engaging the observer with unexpected scales and forms. This includes the deconstruction of stereometric grids in existing structures (as seen in the Polish Pavilion at Venice, 2003) and distorted elements like stairs (e.g., at the Susch Museum) and park benches. Her artistic focus extends to the “secondary” features of architecture and the grassroots activities within residential complexes, exploring overlooked aspects of urban life and utopias. Recently, she has been integrating various materials, from concrete cast directly from the ground to combining harsh metal bars with more ‘refined’ elements like marble.
Sosnowska’s global presence is marked by her participation in several prestigious biennales, including Venice (2003, 2007, 2011), Gwangju Biennale, Manifesta 4 in Frankfurt, 8th Istanbul Biennale, Prague Biennale (2003), Shanghai Biennale (2012), Canadian Biennial (2017), and the 13th Kaunas Biennial (2021). Her works have been featured in group exhibitions at institutions such as MUMOK in Vienna, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Sculpture Center in New York. Her solo exhibitions are noteworthy, including a significant retrospective at the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw (2020), along with shows at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art in Israel, K21 Museum in Düsseldorf, Museum of Modern Art in New York, Sprengel Museum in Hanover, Kunstraum Dornbirn in Austria (2022), and Zentrum Paul Klee in Switzerland (2023). Her current exhibition is being held at the Espoo Museum of Modern Art in Finland.Monika Sosnowska resides and works in Warsaw.