Dr. Monika Aleksandrowicz stands as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary Polish art, working at the intersection of image, sign, and meaning. An assistant professor, artist, curator, and lecturer at the E. Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, she has dedicated more than two decades to the creation of artist’s books and experimental works that fuse text, geometry, and asemic writing. Her practice is a dialogue between philosophy and visual art—one that constantly questions how meaning emerges, shifts, or dissolves.With exhibitions across Europe, recognition through awards such as the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2024), and leadership roles in the field of art mediation, Aleksandrowicz’s career exemplifies both intellectual rigor and artistic originality.
Academic and Artistic Formation
Aleksandrowicz’s foundation lies in a rare combination of painting and philosophy. She graduated in Painting in 1999 and went on to study Philosophy at the University of Wrocław, completing her degree in 2001. This dual education laid the groundwork for an artistic practice deeply rooted in conceptual thought yet materially grounded in visual experimentation.
In 2021, she earned her PhD with distinction, a recognition that underscored the depth of her research into visual communication. Her academic work complements her studio practice, as she consistently bridges theory and artistic creation. This synthesis defines her career, positioning her not only as an artist but also as a thinker who treats art as a field of inquiry.
The Language of Signs and Structures
Central to Aleksandrowicz’s work is her exploration of asemic writing marks that resemble writing but are free of fixed linguistic meaning. By stripping writing of its conventional function, she opens new avenues for interpretation, inviting viewers to engage with text as image and with image as a potential text.
Her research focuses on the tension between sign, image, and meaning, creating a dynamic field where language becomes ambiguous and open-ended. She is particularly interested in geometric structures inspired by rhythm and mathematics, which function as visual scores. These rhythmic compositions act like notations, evoking sound, time, and movement without ever becoming literal.
Through this interplay of structures, she invites viewers to consider the limits of perception and cognition, exploring how meaning can shift or collapse into paradox.
Cycles and Major Works
Over the years, Aleksandrowicz has developed several significant bodies of work, each delving into different aspects of her ongoing inquiry.
- Semiography: A series examining the signs and systems of writing, challenging viewers to interpret fragments of text-like forms that resist conventional reading.
- CUBES: Works based on geometric modularity, rhythm, and mathematical structures, where order and variation coexist in visual balance.
- MEANDER: A cycle that uses flowing, maze-like structures to reflect on the complexity of movement, rhythm, and interpretive pathways.
- Light Interventions in Public Space: Projects in which she expands her studio practice into the urban environment, projecting text and geometric patterns onto public surfaces to transform everyday spaces into poetic sites of reflection.
Each cycle reveals a commitment to experimentation, while together they form a coherent trajectory of inquiry into the semiotics of visual art.
Exhibitions and International Presence
Aleksandrowicz’s work has reached audiences both in Poland and abroad. She has exhibited in Venice, Paris, Reykjavík, and Oslo, among other cities, and has taken part in over one hundred exhibitions and projects. Her international presence testifies to the universal relevance of her concerns, language, rhythm, meaning, and their ability to resonate across cultures.
Through these exhibitions, her practice continues to expand, engaging with diverse audiences who are invited to read her works in multiple, often unexpected ways.
Roles in Academia and Mediation
Beyond her studio practice, Aleksandrowicz has played an influential role as an educator and mediator of art. From 2020 to 2024, she served as the head of the Department of Art Mediation at the E. Geppert Academy, where she shaped dialogue between contemporary art and its audiences. Today, as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Sculpture and Art Mediation, she continues to expand this mission.
She also leads the Studio of Creative Communication, a space where young artists are encouraged to explore how meaning is created, challenged, and transformed through visual expression. This position allows her to pass on her commitment to experimentation and critical inquiry to the next generation of artists.
Recognition and Honors
In 2024, Aleksandrowicz received the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, one of the most prestigious cultural honors in Poland. This award highlights her contributions both as an artist and as a cultural leader whose work has had a lasting impact on the Polish and international art scenes.
She is also a member of the Discursive Geometry Art Association, an affiliation that further reflects her interest in the intersection of visual form, mathematics, and meaning.
Artist’s Statement: A Dialogue of Meaning
Aleksandrowicz describes her work as an inquiry into the limits of cognition within signs, texts, and structures. She is fascinated by interpretive paradoxes and the ways in which meaning shifts when conventional habits of perception are challenged.
Her artist’s books and asemic journals are open invitations to co-create meaning, engaging the viewer as an active participant rather than a passive observer. Her geometric scores and text projections extend this dialogue, transforming both private reading and public space into arenas of shared interpretation.
For Aleksandrowicz, art is language, but also the search for language. It is a process of constant discovery, where the margins of perception open onto new forms of communication.
Conclusion
Dr. Monika Aleksandrowicz’s art is both poetic and intellectual, balancing rigorous structure with open-ended interpretation. Her works, whether in the form of asemic writing, geometric patterns, or light interventions, invite viewers into a space where language dissolves into rhythm, and rhythm becomes a form of language.
As an artist, curator, and educator, she continues to shape the discourse of contemporary art in Poland and abroad, building bridges between image and meaning, philosophy and form. Her career demonstrates that art is not only a reflection of the world but also an experimental field where communication itself is questioned, expanded, and reimagined.
