ARTIST STATEMENT
I need to be heard—and so do women, especially women of a certain age. That need has become the foundation of my current work and a new, urgent direction in my practice. Over the past three years, I experienced relentless physical pain and medical dismissal, moving from doctor to doctor while being told it was “just menopause.” My work now reflects the psychological and bodily toll of that experience: the confusion, exhaustion, and quiet violence of not being believed. Ultimately, the diagnosis was not menopause at all, but a serious infection. I am still astonished that I am standing, working, and making art.
This lived experience has fundamentally reshaped my studio practice. Historically grounded in painting and welded sculpture, my work has expanded through necessity into mixed media and process-based experimentation. A long recovery altered my relationship to my body, materials, and time, pushing me toward methods that are more layered, fragile, and materially expressive. I am developing a body of work that confronts pain, endurance, and visibility—work that insists on presence rather than silence.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Victoria Kowalczyk (b.1973, IL) is a Chicago-based artist specializing in sculpture and oil painting. She earned her Master’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Victoria’s diverse career includes developing educational programs for museums, a visiting artist for Chicago’s schools and running her own import company. Throughout her professional journey, she has consistently pursued her passion for art. Her current sculptural work explores the theme of polarity, skillfully uniting contrasting elements through various mediums.
© Victoria Kowalczyk