Born in Poland, Monika Gardyla is a self-taught artist currently living and working between London and beautiful, sunny Itacare in Bahia - Brasil where she is building her dream house and art studio.
After graduating from University in Poland in 2001 with Master's Degree in Marketing in Public Relations bored with restraints of her family and the mentality of people around her, Monika migrated to London and later on to Brasil to pursue her course of artistic and spiritual development and expand her research and creative practice.
Monika explores many cultures, beliefs and also her connection to the natural world to create her pieces. Geometric figures, leaves, fungi and flowers are often presented in her compositions.
To create her work, She uses a combination of artistic mediums from acrylic and oil paint, spray, oil stick, pen on paper, canvas, wood, metal to wax, resin, ceramics and concrete.
With her current work, she couples intricacy with a powerful use of colours to create dynamic and geometric Collages. She is exploring endless possibilities working with vintage and recycled papers she is gathering for years now.
"Collage is this remarkable, creative outlet you can dive in and explore and experiment with colours, textures, composition, and various themes and end up with an amazing and often unexpected creation''.
Her work has a distinctive graphic edge, reflecting her love of geometry, shapes and patterns.
Adding some forms and colours on top of one another creates a beautiful layering effect and gives a sense of depth and character to a normally flat surface.
She is also deeply committed to environmental sustainability. By using only discarded materials in her work, She hopes to raise awareness about the impact of our consumer culture on the planet.
The year 2022 was incredibly abundant for Monika.
She was showing her art at Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022, she has been selected to exhibit in "Generous Space" at Hastings Contemporary and invited to display at "The Other Art Fair" in London in October.