Monika Sosnowska

Cahiers d’Art is pleased to present a solo exhibition of the work of Monika Sosnowska. The exhibition focuses on paper models the artist has created since 2008 as well as models produced during a three-month residency at the Atelier Calder in Saché. The exhibition follows the publication of a special portfolio of Sosnowska’s models in the revue Cahiers d’Art N°1, 2015 Calder in France.

Sosnowska has created a series of sophisticated paper models inspired by found architectural elements that are presented in the works as distorted, detached from their common utility. The artist suggests to the viewer a new way of looking at objects, disorienting us by questioning our awareness of form and space. Sosnowska challenges the viewer to envision the architecture on which her work is based, while simultaneously inviting contemplation of the process through which the present work gained an “autonomous sculptural identity.”

During her residency at the Atelier Calder, Sosnowska created maquettes that she would later enlarge into full-size sculpture, just as Calder himself used to create models on which to base his own monumental sculptures.
In addition to the paper maquettes, Sosnowska has created a special edition for Cahiers d’Art. The edition consists of lamps based on Portuguese designs from the 1970s, an era when many social projects were being realized. The original lamps were spray-painted white so as to give off an elegant diffused light. The artist has painted her lamps roughly, with a brush and white enamel paint. When the light is off, the lamp appears flawlessly white, but when the light is switched on, the imperfections become visible, creating a dramatic effect. This recalls an old-fashioned method of painting advertisements on shopwindows. From the street, the paint looked perfect, but when seen from inside the store, against the light, it showed the accidental imperfections of this method of painting.

Monika Sosnowka is deeply inspired by the modernist architecture of Eastern Europe countries, Conceptual Polish Constructivism of the 1930s, and Minimalism from the 1960s and ’70s. Through her distorted sculptures, she highlights the remains of once glorified ideologies of totalitarian regimes, forcing us to reflect upon our relationship to history and to space.

In addition to the exhibition, a portfolio of the artist’s work is featured in the revue Cahiers d’Art N°1, 2015 Calder in France following her recent residency at the Atelier Calder in Saché.
The revue undertakes an in-depth exploration of the significant years Calder spent in France. It unveils the studio and the house where Calder lived and worked through archival documentation, offering deeper insight into his work in each of these enigmatic places.

Calder in France also celebrates the legacy of Calder’s Saché studio over the past 25 years as a residency program for contemporary artists. Over the past quarter century, fifty artists have worked in Calder’s studio, including Martin Puryear, Tara Donovan, Ernesto Neto and Sarah Sze. The revue contains interviews and a selection of images of past residents’ work, as well as a special portfolio of models for new sculptures by Monika Sosnowska.