KATARZYNA KOCZYŃSKA-KIELAN

She graduated from the State School of Fine Arts (now the Academy of Art and Design) in Wrocław with a diploma in ceramics design (1987). She is a lecturer at her alma mater, holding the position of professor since 2008. In the years 1996–2001, she was the vice-dean of the Faculty of Ceramics and Glass and in the years 2005–2008, the head of the Department of Ceramics. She is a winner of e.g. the SILESIA Lower Silesian Cultural Award (2017) and the Silver Cross of Merit (2019). Besides her artistic activity, she is also a curator and mentor in the field of visual arts. She has held numerous artistic residencies, e.g. in China, Portugal and Germany. She has been a participant of international symposia and conferences. She has presented her works at 24 individual and over 100 group exhibitions. Her works are parts of the collections in Poland and abroad. the collections in Poland and abroad.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am active in the field of visual arts, specializing in ceramic sculpture. In my works that can be classified as organic geometry, I enter into a dialogue with space. In numerous projects, the geometry of the shell fragments, in contrast to the expression of the structure, creates tensions that build the organic form, which is a record of memory and emotions. On this basis, my works have also been classified as a discursive abstraction. I build a dialogue between the form and its materiality, and the space that opens up in it, reflecting the emptiness and transcendence that can only exist in contrast to what is physical in them. An important element for me is creative freedom, which I achieve thorough knowledge of the workshop, which translates into a conscious and self-limiting use of the artistic means applied in individual projects.