TAPPAN

Tell us about an artist whose career you admire.

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

My inspiration changes together with things I am interested in. But I can definitely say that I always return to works by Louise Bourgeois, Huguette Caland, Marlene Dumas, Helen Chadwick, and Tracy Emin and always learn something new from them.

TAPPAN

What was the last gallery show you went to?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

It was an exhibition of the work by Yokoo Tadanori at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo (MOT). He is one of my favorite artists from Japan.

TAPPAN

What is the arts community like in your city? Do you spend your time around other creatives?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

Tokyo is quite a specific place when it comes to art. In my opinion the creative community is not huge, so I decided to create my own environment. Together with two other creatives we rented an old building in the east part of Tokyo. After renovating it, each of us have a studio there, plus we have a small gallery and pop up space that hosts different cultural activities. This pushed me to started "ONA project room" an initiative to support female artists through the series of pop up exhibitions. And now every month I host one exhibition that last only 3 days, but it has this energy of introducing female artists to a new audience, spend time with other creatives, and also interact with the local community.

TAPPAN

If you could travel anywhere to create for a while, where would you go?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

Mexico or LEWELINA SKOWRONSKA

TAPPAN

What are your other hobbies?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

Recently I started learning Butoh, a form of dance developed in Japan in the 60s. It is a really interesting way of expression through the body, a topic that of course is very much connected with my work. I also studied Japanese tea ceremony, but here again I am interested in body movements. So, it seems that all my hobbies are actually related to my work.

TAPPAN

If you could have a drink with one artist, who would it be?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

Tracy Amin

TAPPAN

What influences you?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

I guess everything around me inspires me. My personal experiences, things I read, people I have met, cultural and political events. I am interested in psychology and ways culture, religion, historical moments we are living in, or how family influences our identities. So, for me it is usually looking inward and seeing how those experiences can become shared or universal.

TAPPAN

What motivates you?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

I guess it must be a need to create, make, and improve, and constantly grow. I am very ambitious, so if I get an idea it bugs me and I can't stop thinking about it until I make it happen. I like when things are in motion and I also like new challenges, so if a new project or collaboration appears it is always a new boost of energy and motivation for me. However, I also need my down time and moments when I can step back and see what actually just happened.

TAPPAN

Silence or sound while creating? If sound, what?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

I would say both. I like creating in silence as I feel my head can be very loud, and very often I am having a conversation with myself. And even if there is some sound around me, I simply cut it off and don't hear it. But there are times I like to be surrounded by sound, as it puts me in a specific mood. So it really depends on how I feel in a given moment or what I do. Most of the time I prefer to listen to music. However, if I do something repetitive that doesn't require lots of concentration I can listen to podcasts or audio books.

TAPPAN

Tools or mediums you’re dying to experiment with?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

I have started experimenting with fabrics, so this is something new for me and I am wondering when it will lead me. But there are many tools and materials I would like to experiment with like glass, bigger scale ceramic works, or bigger scale site-specific works. I hope I will have the opportunity to work with those materials or in that way sometimes in the near future.

TAPPAN

What work took you the longest to complete?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

I usually work quite fast so I don't recall any work that took an extensive amount of time. But of course some work takes longer because of the process involved. Ceramic is one of those processes. It's long, unpredictable to a certain extent, and requires a certain amount of patience. I accept that each medium has its own personality, so in that sense the perception of time involved in the process changes for me.

TAPPAN

Best gift you’ve ever received?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

A knit sweater made by my Aunty with an image taken from one of my prints.

TAPPAN

What’s one habit you wish you could break?

EWELINA SKOWRONSKA

I like all my habits. They tell so much about who we are and who I am. So I guess I am ok with them all. They usually come and go anyway, in their own ways.