Monika Sosnowska

Untitled (Squeezed Market Stand) by Monika Sosnowska evokes a sense of disorientation and tension. In this work, the artist transforms a familiar, utilitarian object - a market stand - into a dramatic tableau of collapse. The green metal frame of the stand is twisted and contorted pinned down under a wall, creating an illusion of a structure under immense pressure. Sosnowska’s material subterfuge captures a moment of intense strain, where she contorts sturdy metal to appear soft and malleable like plastic. Her use of industrial processes and materials such as steel, concrete, and metal rebar are central to her practice, enabling her to transform rigid structures into seemingly fragile and distorted forms.

Sosnowska frequently takes inspiration from the urban landscape and the architectural heritage of Eastern Europe, particularly the remnants of modernist and socialist architecture. Consequently, this work can be seen as commentary on the vulnerabilities of socio-economic structures and the impact of external pressures on them. The wall might be seen as a metaphor for these overwhelming forces — political, economic, and social — that can disrupt the fabric of daily existence. Sosnowska looks to architectural irregularities to create a sculptural body that appears at both ambiguous and intentionally engineered.