Magdalena Skupinska
Magdalena Skupinska was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1991 and lives and works in London.
Through her formal and conceptual vocabulary, Magdalena Skupinska’s work draws from Modernist traditions of biomorphic abstraction, Arte Povera and Minimalism, as a way to facilitate a reconnection with the essential multi-sensory experiences that stimulate the basis of our being. Deeply rooted in her surroundings, Skupinska’s work draws from a process of research and experimentation into the flawed, but present, symbiotic relationship between human and non-human forces in our shared world. Early work investigated the fragile and tangible quality of organic materials, such as spices and fruit, to create delicate multi-sensory experiences. Following a period spent learning from the indigenous community of Santo Domingo Albarradas, Mexico, Skupinska’s rejection of traditional painterly materials intensified with the artist finding more significance from woven palm leaves than canvas and from the texture of ground corn than acrylic paint. Skupinska continues to muse on humanity’s troubled relationship with nature, gleaning insights from observation, experimentation and research and communicating her thoughts through her abstractions.
Magdalena Skupinska completed her BA in Fine Art at Central St Martins, London and her MA in Painting at The Royal College of Arts, London. She has participated in residencies at Selebe Yoon, Dakar, Senegal; Fundación Casa Wabi in Oaxaca, Mexico; La Ira de Dios, Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Atlantic Center For The Arts. Her solo exhibitions include Fertile Plate, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, USA (2023), Blending Elements (2022) and Layú, Maximillian William, London (2019); DAMA, Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana, Turin, Italy (2016) and Elements of Silence, Maximillian William, London (2015). Recent group shows include Borrowed Landscapes (2023), The Haptic Eye: Part III – Pathways of Dexterity, ArtCircle, curated by Mark Gisbourne (2021); The Haptic Eye: Part II – Tactile Visions, ArtCircle, curated by Mark Gisbourne (2020); Tender Touches, Open Space Contemporary, London curated by Huma Kabakcı and Anna Skladmann (2019); Adventitious Encounters, Open Space Contemporary, London curated by Huma Kabakcı and Anna Skladmann (2018).
SELECTED WORKS
Magdalena Skupinska; Barka, 2022; Chestnut, tomato, arrowroot, butterfly pea and hibiscus on canvas; 54.3 x 64.5 cm;
Magdalena Skupinska; Celadon, 2022; Broccoli, arrowroot and turmeric on canvas; 33.8 x 54.5 cm;
Magdalena Skupinska; Untitled, 2022; Carrot, turmeric and arrowroot on canvas; 34.4 x 44.2 cm;
Magdalena Skupinska; Sugarcane, 2022; Turmeric, chilli, paprika, blue spirulina and arrowroot on canvas; 53.8 x 54.4 cm;
Magdalena Skupinska; Repose, 2022; Turmeric, chilli, blue spirulina, arrowroot on canvas; 145.2 x 185.5 cm;
Magdalena Skupinska; Tower of joy, 2022; Beetroot, arrowroot, turmeric, chilli, blue spirulina, chestnut on canvas; 54.6 x 54.6 cm;
Magdalena Skupinska; Daca (Grass in Cajono Zapotec), 2019; Red corn on petates; 74.5 x 85 cm;
Magdalena Skupinska; Niza II (Corn in Ithsmus Zapotec), 2019; Yellow and blue corn on petates; 70.8 x 92.4 cm; (MS-19-014);
Magdalena Skupinska; Cuananaxhi (A fruit in Isthmus Zapotec), 2019; Red and blue corn on petate; 96.52 x 74.5 cm;
EXHIBITIONS
PRESS
‘Magdalena Skupinska keeps close ties to nature when creating her biomorphic compositions’ by Allie Biswas
July 2022
Magda Skupinska’s ‘LAYÚ’ at Maximillian William is a Crucial Reminder of Our Connection to Land and Nature
April 2020
