Artist of the week: Monika Kozac

Monika Kozac is an illustrator and an artist from Poland. Her work is inspired by female power, sensuality, and freedom to be what they want to be, and by what Kozac sees as a raw energy within the female spirit. Kozac is also interested in ethnic roots, native and singular cultures of the world. Her other strong influence is fashion and the way people style themselves and use this to elevate their own image into art. 

KALTBLUT: Tell us about your creative background – when did you first start illustrating/what really pushed you to do so?
Monika: As early as I can remember, I was drawing. As a child, I used to make my own paperdolls  and design their clothes, houses , everything. I was creating my own  world. It was much more interesting for me then buying ready made toys. But I started to consciously do illustration during my Art studies a few years ago. Then i realized that this is the thing I want to do in my life.

KALTBLUT: What medium/tools do you feel most comfortable with when creating your work?
Monika: I like to try many different techniques, and Ieven create my own ;) I feel most comfortable with classic  tools. I like working with paper, canvas, inks, paints even though it gets your hands dirty. I usually only use the computer for post production. I like to show different aspects of a topic by using differnet tools that suits the message I want to convey. That is why my illustrations vary a lot, i dont have one style that I stick to. I look for the right expresion of my feelings for every picure or series.

KALTBLUT: Your illustrations, are like an Ode to women, what are you inspiration?
Monika:  My inspiration is the woman herself: the power of her primal nature and beauty. The link between the biology and the culture. I think women can connect these two things wonderfully – express the power of  nature and also the creation of themselves. Im fascinated by the world’s cultural heretige, primal cultures as the roots of civilisacion. I am also inspired by work of painters, photographers, fashion desingers, musicians. I am inspired by human self expression in fashion and lifestyle, which allows for creation their own self-image.

KALTBLUT: What is the message you want to get across to viewers of your work? And why is it important to spread this news?
Monika: My message is both the aesthetic and the meaning. I want to show that both women and man can be whomever they want to be. They are able to find, express and create themself on their own terms. I am also looking at pop culture and influence of it on our everyday life.

KALTBLUT: Nowadays, everybody get a different definition for feminism. What’s yours? And how do you express it through your work?
Monika: I dont have my own definition. I just thnik that our society underapreciates women. Even our language shows that women atributes are often undervalued, for example when you tell someone not to be a pussy, not to be a girl. I think that women have great attributes and their sensitivity and empahty or emotions are not a flaw. Women should not pretend to be a men, they should be themselves For me feminism is not being ashamed of being a woman but proud to be one. It means being yourself without apologising for your life choises.

KALTBLUT: What are you working on at the moment?
Monika: I working on the RAW series, mix of illustration and photography.

Contact:

Instagram: @mon_and_ka
@Society6