Marlena Kudlicka was born in Tomaszów Lubelski, in 1973. She lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Kudlicka's work follows in the tradition of constructivist and avant-garde art, where she also derives her sculptures from architecture. She says "In my work I refer to the peripheral areas of architecture, as well as to the construction process, but also to the 1970s in my native Poland, where, in a situation of constant systemic political change, temporariness and a lack of stability were a permanent part of architecture. Most often this was a result of improvisation and limited access to building materials; so this whole temporary architecture became a 'monument of errors.' In illegally erected buildings, construction elements that leaned on each other were balanced in accordance with the principle of counterpoint. Of course this was all inevitably predestined to be fragile, and this interested me the most. In what way does fragility activate a space? Does it play a primary or secondary role? Why are certain places felt to be weak points, or can fragility, perhaps, be seen as a temporary state between instability and scarcity on the one hand, and effectiveness and function on the other?" For Kudlicka fragility indicates a chance to reconsider the whole in relation to its history, the past and the present. Like incompleteness, fragility acts as a counterpoint and is crucial to making space complete.
“Steel is the material primarily used for construction. It is supposed to be durable. What attracts me is the opposition, i.e. fragility which complements the durability and serves as its indispensable constituent. When working with steel, I derive its final parameters. I often choose steel rods of various thin diameters as well as sheets of steel which are possibly the finest and the most delicate, almost like paper. Constructing my works from this type of materials means they function on the verge of stability. They are built on the principle of counterpoint but it is the weight that is an essential parameter here” the artists describes.
Kudlicka is particularly interested in the relationship between precision and error. Her sculptures are made with a jeweler's precision, but at the same time an error is factored into the process of their creation “as if the error tries to free itself from the limit that circumscribes it” she says. Kudlicka’s spatial compositions are based on measurements of a given space and calculations of steel weight. In her installations from every position emerges a different line of sight, which is of equal value with all of the other standpoints.
Language is also a key element in Kudlicka's work and the title is always an integral part. For the artist the rigid structure of grammar provokes to disregard the regularity. Kudlicka continues "Letters and words serve to describe a space, while numbers do the same for its measurements. Words are not, however, capable of precisely expressing something, as they constitute a subjective evaluation, yet numbers code precision. I combine both forms in a new language."
Kudlicka’s work has been exhibited recently in solo shows /selected: 2013 the weight of 8, Å»AK | BRANICKA, Berlin ; 2012 wool from the palm and inverted commas, Galerie Bacelos Madrid ; 2012 solo presentation Volta New York, NY; 2012 made of iron and celluloid, Stedefreund Berlin ; 2011 Archeology of Hole. Creating an Archive, Stedefreund Berlin ; 2007 Bon Voyage, ISCP, NYc ; 2008 0 Zone, Kunsthaus Raskolnikow Dresden DE ; 2007 NN Institut Glaspavilion, Berlin ; 2005 The Image That Emits No Shadow/Sunset, Location One, NYc ; 2004 Point Of View, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, DE. And in numerous group exhibitions /selected: 2012 CGAC Santiago de Compostela Spain ; 2011 Tape Modern Berlin ; 2010 Kunsthaus Erfurt, Erfurt, De ; 2010 Invisible Dog, NY ; 2009 Void+ Tokyo ; 2009 Art Station Foundation, Poznan PL ; 2008 98weeks Beirut ; Centro de las Artes Salamanca, MX ; Municipal Gallery Poznan, PL ; CASYC Santander, Spain
Kudlicka has participated in residency programs as 2008/09 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council NYC ; 2007/08 International Studio & Curatorial Program NYC ; 2003/05 Akademie Schloss Solitude Stuttgart ; 2004/05 Location One NYC ; 2003 Art Omi NY. She has obtained several grants : 2010/2011 A. Mickiewicz Institute PL ; 2007/2008 Narodowe Centrum Kultury PL ; 2004/2005 Trust For Mutual Understanding New York ; 2003/04/05 Akademie Schloss Solitude Stuttgart DE ; 2003 Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation New York.
Marlena Kudlicka is represented by ŻAK | BRANICKA Berlin.
For additional information about this artist, visit Mutual Art
