Monia Stawoska

At the age of 17, I was already designing and creating my own collections of silk garments, artistically hand-painted in an original style. I organized exhibitions that combined fashion, art, and music, as at that time I also had my own music band, which performed during these vernissages and enriched their atmosphere. In Vienna, I spent three years studying the art of tattooing in one of the city’s most renowned tattoo studios, where I gained experience in working with detail and symbolic form. A special place in my artistic work is occupied by artistically painted beehives, which combine ecological awareness with art. Together with my husband, we created an artistic apiary in Pitten that has become known in many places around the world. I draw inspiration from many areas of life and knowledge — from nature, poetry, physics, and philosophy. I am inspired by beliefs, symbols, and folklore from different parts of the world. Important elements of my work also include social and geopolitical themes, which I interpret through symbolism, emotion, and visual metaphor. The freedom that painting gives me exists in the very moment of creation itself — in an almost autistic-like state of deep immersion and focus that accompanies the creative process.