Monika Patuszyńska — Hold Me Tight
Defiance is her most beautiful trait, says Monika Patuszyńska about porcelain. And it sounds as if she is talking about herself. The vi-
brating ‘r’ that appears when she utters the word catches your attention, as does every form she signs with the stamp ‘PATU’. She rebels
against the image of a craftswoman in an apron, though she admits she prefers a saw, a hammer, or a stapler to diamonds. She is not
interested in conventions, rules, or creating proper designs for display cabinets; instead, she is drawn to constant experimentation and
pushing the boundaries of what can and cannot be done with the material.
She has been loved by the leading rebel of the interior design industry, Peter Marino, for casting on the beach, using molds made from corn
puffs or paper, and firing dust. The architect regularly commissions her works for the boutiques he designs – such as Chanel in Singapore, the
famous Tiffany’s in New York (and the upcoming one in Milan), Guerlain in Paris. When she isn’t secluded in her studio in Milanówek, near
Warsaw, following the rhythm of heating and cooling the kiln, she transforms into an artistic nomad. She curates exhibitions, participates in
residencies, and conducts master classes.
She deliberately chose vessel forms because they evoke something intimate and homely, but their function and usability are not her primary
concerns. She treats porcelain as a medium for storytelling – both universal and deeply personal. She is fascinated by the phenomenon of
connections, even those that might be considered mismatched pairings. She explores fusions, hybrids, collages, and interspecies romances on
the level of process and technology, as well as on the level that is activated within the realm of meanings. She creates incredible original forms,
deconstructs once-fired objects, and boldly mixes orders, and artifacts with her own works. And although the objects emerging from her
workshop – her laboratory of relationships – appear at first glance to be fierce, dynamic, and sharp-edged, they remain fragile and delicate,
like porcelain, like herself.
Artist:
Artist and curator, member of the International Academy of Ceramics (AIC/IAC). She graduated from the Faculty of Ceramics and Glass at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. She was the last designer at the Zakłady Porcelitu Stołowego Pruszków (Pruszków Table China Factory) and the last president of the International Ceramics Symposium Porcelain Another Way. Between 2014 and 2016 she held the position of the Artistic Director at the Institute of Design in Kielce. Awards: 2 ̊ Premio, XXX Concorso de Ceramica Contemporanea, Castello Episcopio, largo Maria Immacolata, Grottaglie, Italy (2023), Master Prize, European Prize for Applied Arts, Mons, Belgium (2015), Prix de la Ville deVallauris, XXIIème Biennale Internationale de Vallauris, France (2012). Works in public collections: Musée Ariana (Geneva, Switzerland), Museum of Modern Ceramic Art (Gifu, Japan), Danmarks Keramikmuseum (Middelfart, Denmark).
Past exhibition
Monika Patuszyńska — Hold Me Tight
Niepokorność, to jej najpiękniejsza cecha– mówi o porcelanie Monika Patuszyńska. I brzmi to, jakby mówiła o sobie samej. Wibrujące „r”, które pojawia się, kiedy wypowiada to słowo zwraca uwagę, podobnie jak każda forma, którą sygnuje stemplem „PATU”. Buntuje się przeciwko wizerunkowi rzemieślniczki w fartuchu, choć przyznaje, że zamiast diamentów woli piłę, młotek czy taker. Nie interesują ją kanony, zasady, tworzenie poprawnych wzorów do serwantek, ale ciągły eksperyment, przesuwanie granicy tego, co można i co wolno zrobić z materiałem.
