Monika Chlebek Studio Visit

It had been over half a year since Monika Chlebek's exhibition at HIDDEN, prompting our decision to visit her studio in Krakow. As we appreciated her latest work, we also engaged in conversations about her current project and fondly reflected on her past exhibition in Japan.

I still think about how we manage your exhibition at HIDDEN. I wrote to you if you were interested in exhibiting at HIDDEN in two weeks and you wrote back that you can't because you have an opening at Copenhagen and suggested an exhibition in three weeks. For which I really thank you. Are you so active or was this an exception?

Last year was very intense. I prepared 3 solo exhibitions and participated in 6 group exhibitions. I didn't plan it. I reacted to the proposals that came up. And yours was one of them, I'm glad that I realized it. This year has started more quietly. I now have the time and mental space to take up new threads, explorations and mistakes that I can make without worrying about time pressure before the next exhibition.

You had an exhibition in Japan. I heard if you want to feel like you're in an alien environment you go to visit Japan. How was it for you? How did they respond to your work?

My last exhibition in Japan was in 2016, it's been a long time and the paintings I showed there are quite different from the ones I painted recently. The exhibition consisted of small formats in grey tones, now I paint larger paintings with intense colors. Japan was an amazing experience for me and the viewers received my paintings with interest and enthusiasm.

You are now applying for an art residence. What/where is your dream artist residency? What do you expect from it?

I have no specific ideas about the ideal residence, I am ready and open to different forms and places. I would like to be in a different environment, preferably close to nature, meet artists from different parts of the world and develop my ideas not necessarily exclusively in a painterly form.

You are working on a new series of paintings. Can you tell me more about it?

I would like to convey themes such as eroticism, passion, sensuality and sexuality from a female perspective, my own perspective. John Berger, in one of his essays on the European painting tradition writes: "Women are there to satisfy the appetite, not to have one of their own." And I want to discuss this perspective. I am interested in approaching this subject in a way that oscillates between literal and metaphorical, between figurative and abstract.

Do you have some other projects planned for this year?

At the moment I am focusing my attention on creative work. So far, I didn’t have the time in the studio to research, develop new ideas, themes, and follow up new paintings. So at the moment I am not planning any exhibition activities. I am waiting for the developments in my studio, and then I will think about what to do next.

I was asking you how long it takes you to make a new painting. And you were talking about approaches instead of time. Can you please explain that?

It's hard to count the time spent on a painting. It depends on the theme and size. My paintings have little details and I paint them quite quickly. Thin layers and solid surfaces require quick and decisive action. I spend quite a lot of time thinking about the motif, composition, color. I make sketches, and after decisions start painting. I usually need 2 or 3 approaches. Of course, very often the painting fails and then I pull the canvas and prepare a new canvas. And this is also the time spent on the painting.

Do you sometimes paint at home? Perhaps just drawings and ideas? Or do you strictly work only at your studio?

Sometimes I make gouaches on paper, sketch at home or work conceptually. These are situations where for some reason I can't or don't want to be in the studio. However, I spend most of my working time in the studio, which allows me to separate my work time from my private time.

Your compositions have a lot in common with photography. I was wondering if you also take pictures and if so, does the composition look the same as in your paintings?

I sometimes take pictures for myself, nothing special. I rather choose simple motifs, without unnecessary details, just like in painting.

Thanks Monika for your time.