Artist of the Month - Ilona Skladzien
Posted 19 December 2023
Our Artist of the Month for December is Dorset Visual Arts Member Ilona Skladzien.
Here is what she had to say about her practice and how Dorset influences her work: In my current practice, I am looking to mediate my day to day experience by investigating a variety of domestic materials and exploring new working processes; looking to attract the viewer's attention to the intricacies and temporality of everyday.
Increasingly, my practice explores the boundaries between the painting, drawing and installation.
From the 22nd to the 26th January 2024 SpudWORKS will host my solo exhibition 'Have you?', an exploration of parenthood here and now through looking back, outside and within.
One of my recent works 'Welfare of the mind' can currently be seen in a group show entitled 'Digital dreaming' at SpudWORKS, open through to the 12th January 2024. The exhibition is showcasing a range of artistic responses of 40 local artists to the theme of 'how we might see our technological futures'.
'Welfare of the mind' / 100 x 100 x 8 cm / made of a pocket size guide for mothers on how to treat children, first published in 1904, with 91 pages of short instructions on how to deal with health issues from teething to teens, surrounded by the book like forms made of baby wipes, formula milk, coffee and baby oil, references the vast amount of online content modern parents need to navigate, creating fertile soil for doubt, guilt and fatigue syndrome.
How does working/living in Dorset influence your artistic practice?
I think of my artistic practice being connected to Dorset particularly through a landscape of people who, over years, influenced and still keep influencing me and my work directly and indirectly. This includes family, friends and other artists and creative professionals, as well as belonging to the artist groups such as The Salon and Drawing Research Group at Arts Bournemouth University, which provide me with continuous stimulation and challenge.
You can see more of Ilona's work on her Dorset Visual Arts Member's profile, her Instagram and her website.