by Dafne Crocella

She was born in Krakow in 1980. For 15 years, she worked as an actress and then shifted her interest to sculpture. She graduated with a degree in Psychology in 2007, studied at the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków, and graduated in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. She is also a jewellery maker, for which she received an award in Japan. With her works she constantly seeks ways to reveal the invisible or to ask the right question, even if there is no possible answer. Her works are often constructed in ephemeral layers of aluminium mesh and steel.

Your work Chips of Memory has been chosen by the Comel Award Jury and exhibited in Latina in the exhibition of the 13 finalists. An artwork surely appreciated by the public who was captured by the complex structure of the work. Can you tell us something about the creation path of the piece?

It is the first time I worked on a piece that was so emotionally risky for me. I struggled with myself, as I tried to visualize my feelings and observations, that I suppress on a daily basis, things I find hard to talk about. It felt necessary to take time to stare directly at the problem and get to some form of acceptance to see what it truly is. This process seemed to correspond with my search of materials, I created some models with more opaque look, but there was always more need for transparency to show the complexity and evanescence of human identity.

Self-degenerative disease and the connection with the theme of memory as identity are the cornerstones of this work. Have you also investigated this theme in other works?

This question makes me realize that I often refer to this theme in some way. My piece “Point of view” contained a hidden image mirrored by different parts of human eye iris, creating an illusion of shapes that could have been easily interpreted as something else, depending on an observer. Also my latest piece “Mind of Its Own” focused on human mind as a creator of its own reality and the problem of human communication.

Chips of memory

Aluminum Beneath the Surface is the title of the 2024 edition of the Comel Award. It invited to explore what lies beneath the surface, of materials, things, and also people. How do you feel this work responded to this theme?

The final idea of creating my piece with transparent layers let me show fully the idea of how it feels to live with a changing shredded version of yourself. Visually eliminating all obvious accociations to human head or portrait was my goal. And it was exaclty this elimination of the surface we are used to see, that let me show how wrong we can be in our observaions of another person. That what we see is not how that person sees herself.

The work is created with an aluminum mesh. Is this the first time you are dealing with this material in your works or is it part of your material research? What characteristics do you find in aluminum from an artistic creation point of view?

I worked with aluminium mesh before and it became one of my favorite materials. I feel there is still a lot to explore it this matter, the possibilities of its features seem endless. I value its flexibility and ability to hold shape, transparency of the layers that I can turn into solid wall. It is my metallic equivalent for clay. I think it will stay with me on my journey for a long time.

Your artistic and expressive research also includes the world of cinema and expressive research linked to the body. Was this path formative for your work as a sculptor?

I don’t think it was. On the other hand I tend not to analyze myself. Every piece I made so far started with something different, a different question that needed a different research. I still don’t feel experienced enough to define what is formative for my work. But knowing myself so far I probably never will. I always feel like I know nothing and I constantly have to form new questions. Maybe I should consider this as a formative factor.

Point of view

Chips of Memory is a large work, that fill the space changing it. What formats do you prefer in your works? Do you have other large works?

I can hear all my teacher’s laughter right now in my head, because I am known to be the one who starts every project by measuring the door, making sure the enormous thing can get through at least in parts! I think about this piece as rather small, but I am glad it can still change the space the way my other sculptures do. My larger pieces tend to be more than 2 meters high and usually about the same width and depth, like “Stormy Weather”– so called supercell, mother of storms, that refers to accumulated feelings taking a form of Shakespearean storm, also created with aluminum mesh. However I also did a few much smaller pieces, usually using bronze or steel.

Part of your work is dedicated to jewelry. Is there a connection between your sculptures and jewels or are they two separate paths?

I used to be an actress with a very serious hobby. I spent a lot of time making jewellery that was rather intended for competitions, as there was always an interesting theme that let me make something unusual. After some time my friend looked at it all and she said to me “Woman, you are a sculptress, you just don’t know it yet!” That was the moment I decided to try this new path for real. I was always mesmerized by all sorts of metals and now I am thinking about going back there, combining a new approach with my never dying love for metal trinkets.

Are there any artists from the past to whom you feel particularly connected and who you recognize as having influenced your work?

Somehow when asked this question I always think about Auguste Rodin. It is mostly because of how he worked, his pieces were revolutionary but he was not aiming for that. It seems to me that he just made things as he saw them, no matter if he was criticized or praised. He was very aware of what he needed to do to sell his sculptures well. But when it comes to pieces that mattered to him, I think he just couldn’t do them any other way. That is what makes him an artist in my eyes.

Stormy Weather

What about your next events or projects?

I am at the beggining of my journey now, fresh out of the Academy, lucky enough to win some awards and be able to show my diploma piece “Mind of Its Own” on some exhibitions. My plans include a solo exhibition in Warsaw, Poland this year. I want to show pieces that combine steel and aluminum mesh, which feels like next obvious chapter to me. I am still focused on themes including the importance of human subjective reception of reality, but I am always exploring new materials that now lead me to concepts with using also mirror reflections and light.