Monika Marchewka (b.1988) is a Polish artist living and working in Gdynia, Poland. In 2013 she obtained her degree in painting at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland. After graduation, Monika started working as an animator in the world's first fully painted film 'Loving Vincent’ and later 'The Peasants' (BreakThru films production company). Since leaving BreakThru films, she has been painting full-time.
She is represented by Artistellar Gallery in London and has been exhibiting worldwide.
Marchewka’s figurative paintings are surreal, dreamy, almost magical, yet somewhat haunted. Coming from a sea city in Poland, the artist’s work is deeply connected to nature, particularly the sea. The imagery exudes a distinctly feminine feel, which represents Marchewka’s self-observation and research of womanhood in general. She captures the essence of longing, comfort, and apprehension through her surrealist compositions, articulating fear of the unknown and nostalgia for the familiar. Her reoccurring female characters are on a journey through dreamy settings towards something tangible, superior, or spiritual.
Artist Statement:
My work is deeply influenced by the aesthetics of Neo-Rococo, manifesting through motifs of shells, ethereal palettes, and idyllic scenes. However, the most recurring theme in my practice is that of travel—both literal and metaphorical—a search for mythical landscapes that offer solace and an escape from the past. This journey mirrors that of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, who, regardless of faith or nationality, sought spiritual transformation by the sea, carrying shells as tokens of their passage.
In many ways, I am on a similar journey. My artistic evolution has been marked by profound transformation. I once painted dark, nocturnal landscapes—dense forests shrouded in mist, embodying uncertainty and mystery. Over time, light and color began to seep into my work. I stepped out of the forest and into the open, seeking something beyond the weight of academic rigor, realism, and restraint that once defined my practice.
This transition has led me to embrace vibrancy, playfulness, and the creation of imagined worlds. My paintings now celebrate a kind of revelry—of femininity, intimacy, and fleeting beauty. It is found not only in the human form but in delicate gestures, cascading hair, luminous amber, and the camaraderie of sisterhood.
Yet, even amidst this joy and luminosity, the night remains within me—not as something to escape, but as something to honor. Light cannot exist without shadow, just as day holds meaning only in contrast to night. This understanding compels me to fully immerse myself in the present—embracing the fleeting
2024 -November: " Whispers of Shared Melodies" duo show, Artistellar Gallery, London
2024- October: “ Quintessence” group show, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City
2024- July: “Soft Glistening Lights” duo show, Hiro Hiro, Taipai, Taiwan
2024- June “In Between”, solo show, Monti8, Latina, Italy
2024- upcoming in end of May “ I look to the moon like a fellow traveller”, group show, LAMB Gallery, London
2024- ”Sweet Memories”, group show, Monti8, Italy
2023- ”Sweet Potion”, group show, Artistellar Gallery, London
2023- Artsy FOUNDATIONS, online fair , artsy
2022- "Full Moon", Water Tower Gallery, Konin
2022- "Bad Dreams", Two Changes, Sopot
2021- "Calm down, no one is watching" MCK, Bdygoszcz
2018- "Ways of combating storms and hail", Galeria NAmiejscu, Gdańsk
2017- "A little old way, all over again", Galeria Sztuka Wyboru, Gdańsk.
2016- “Written off”, Two Changes Gallery, Sopot.
2015- "The moment before. A moment after”, POPin Studio, Sopot.
2015- "Unrest", Żak Gallery, Gdańsk
2013 Young Polish Art, POSK, London