Biography
Monika Sosnowska’s work is informed by the architectural landscape of Warsaw. Exploring the imposition of rational or centralised planning on space, Sosnowska manipulates the form of the structures she depicts. Deprived of their original function, her buildings begin to take on the characteristics of a particular mental space as they are forced to bend, collapse, invert and distort. The resulting configurations not only draw attention to the relationship between the built environment and personal perception, but also encourage reflection on the impact of societal structures on lived reality.
Sosnowska’s solo shows include Habitat, The Contemporary Austin, US (2016); Monika Sosnowska, Indianapolis Museum of Art, US (2016); Architectonisation, Serralves Foundation, Porto, Portugal (2015); Gate, Ginza Maison Hermès, Tokyo (2015); Project Gallery: Monika Sosnowska, Pérez Art Museum, Miami (2013); Regional Modernities, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne (2013); Fire Escape, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2011); The Staircase, K21, Dusseldorf (2010) and 1:1, The Polish Pavilion, 52nd Venice Biennale (2007). Her work has also been exhibited in numerous group exhibitions, such as Sculpture on the Move 1946–2016, Kunstmuseum Basel (2016); Architectural Allusions, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, US (2015); Skyscraper: Art and Architecture Against Gravity, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2012); New Sculpture, Zachęta Narodowa Galeria Sztuki, Warsaw (2012) and ILLUMInations, Arsenale, 54th Venice Biennale (2011). Her public art commissions include FIR TREE, Public Art Fund, Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Central Park, New York (2012) and The Wind House, Primrose Hill, Camden, London, which was part of Portavilion (2008).
Sosnowska studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań, Poland (1993–1998), and she completed a postgraduate programme at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam (2000).
Born in 1972 in Ryki, Poland, Sosnowska currently lives and works in Warsaw.
This person was part of Sharjah Biennial 13.