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Alicja Kozłowska
Alicja Kozłowska

Lay’s Chips (2020)

18 x 29 x 8.5 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

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Banana Peel (2019)

23 x 20 x 8 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

 

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Kellogs (2020) 

19.5 x 24 x 5.5 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

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Haribo (2020) 

11.5 x 16 x 2 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

 

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Campbell’s Can (2019)

8.5 x 12 x 8.5 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

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Cheetos (2021)

18 x 28 x 8 cms

Cotton, linen, paper, jesmonite, mill debris.

embroidered felt sculpture

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i.d (2021) 

27.5 x 40.5 x 9 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

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Coca Cola Can (2020)

6 x 15 x 6 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

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Sardines Can 14 (2020)

10 x 17 x 10 cms

embroidered felt sculpture

Polish textile artist Alicja Kozłowska creates stunning Pop Art work from 3d embroidered felt sculptures. She has exhibited around the world and each piece is incredibly realistic with a bit of extra pizazz.

 

Firstly, where did you grow up and where do you live now?

I grew up and still live in Warsaw, Poland…, but I love to travel, I have visited many places around the world and I feel that I am a citizen of the world, not necessarily tied to an address in my passport.

 

What is your background in textiles?

Art has always accompanied me and was my highest priority. I finished art high school on graphic design profile and now I’m studying design in Warsaw. I didn’t attend any special training in textiles. I explore the fiber arts on my own.

 

What is it about textiles as an art form that appeals to you?

I started my artistic path very typically, from adventure with graphics, sculpture and painting. In parallel, as if involuntarily reaching for textiles. I sewed, embroidered, crocheted, being constantly stimulated by the surrounding me reality, current political, environmental and mass production problems. Searching for my way, I encountered works made of an unusual technique combining painting and tailoring. I immediately thought that it is a perfect combination, something that would allow me to realize my passions.

 

How do you describe your work?

Painting by sewing for me is the format to address that deeply negative, culturally-constructed indifference. By creating colorful and eye-catching Pop Art works, I try to draw the viewer’s attention to our surroundings. I create 3d embroidered felt sculptures of everyday objects to provide an opportunity to rethink these items we take for granted. I draw inspiration from consumerism and everyday objects. I create the aesthetics of Pop Art.

 

If not answered above what techniques do you use?

Mostly, I use art quilting techniques and embroidery. Art quilting is the foundation that I develop later. Embroidery is shading, finishing and applying details. In each work I combine these two techniques and put them together. Each sculpture is a combination of all sewing methods. What I like most is that these techniques do not set any limits. You can use them in an infinite number of ways.

 

How do you create a piece?

I am looking for mass production products that on the one hand have an interesting shape and recognizable logo and on the other hand can be a tool for articulating ideas. Felt pattern is my base. This is probably the most difficult, a bit technical stage. Depending on the intended purpose, I use different fillings and fixing techniques. When the skeleton of the construction is ready, my favorite, most creative stage, thread painting begins. I embroider by hand and using a sewing machine with open toe embroidery foot with lots of interesting stitches.

 

Where do you work?

I work at my home studio. This is my little creative world. I work surrounded by sketches of new projects and slogans that I intend to deal with in the near future.

 

I know this is a hard question but how long does a bigger piece take?

Larger sculptures take from several weeks to several months. It all depends on the complicity of the shape. Sometimes I get involved in projects that require cooperation with other creators, writers, musicians, and then time runs regardless of the rhythm determined by the clocks…

 

What are you most proud of in your art career so far?

Looking back at my career, or rather my development , I have to admit that two moments mixed up a lot in my life. The first time, when I was noticed by Mr. X, and the second when the LAM museum of modern art became interested in my works. In both cases, I became more recognizable and at the same time, my own faith in me was strengthened.

 

Do you have any advice for aspiring textile artists?

I believe that everyone, not just beginners, should search and experiment as much as possible. Don’t focus on just one technique.

And if you lack inspiration and have the impression of repetition, take a step back. Forget about trends and just start creating. As Andy Warhol used to say: ‘I just do art because I’m ugly and there’s nothing else for me to do.’

 

Is there anything you would like to add?

 

I would like to briefly mention my new project called “i.d.” The inspiration for that project was a global view of the diversity and individuality of people around me. I took into account the aspects that connect everyone regardless of age, profession, or nationality. Each of us lives differently, looks different, but there are things that connect everyone around the world. Undoubtedly, there are many common parts, universal for all the people. I was looking for everyday items, and in a sense, intimate items. I wanted to present the characteristics of ordinary inhabitants of our planet but in an unusual way. Show how different we are and how similar we are at the same time. 

Each of us has at least one drawer for things needed immediately, although sometimes completely unnecessary. It’s hard to get rid of them, they’ve always been there, often forever. My project is a study of different drawers, interpreting different personalities and showing different parts of the world. My drawers will be made using many techniques, included in the term of the broadly understood “artistic fabric”, which will undoubtedly give them originality and emphasize the uniqueness of this field of art.

It’s very simple to become a co-creator of my project, just send the form with a photo of your drawer to the e-mail address provided. All the informations and form to download you can find on my website: https://www.alicesidea.com/project . Selected entries will be sewn by me and become part of the installation.

 

www.alicesidea.com

www.instagram.com/alice.kozlow/