Drawing in Space: Monika Grzymala on Tape, Ephemeral Art & Intuition

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A philosophical conversation with Berlin-based artist Monika Grzymala, whose spatial drawings transform architecture with nothing but kilometers of black tape, intuition and intense physical labor.

Monika's practice is deceptively simple: she works alone, without assistants, using adhesive tape to create immersive three-dimensional drawings that respond to each unique space. But beneath that simplicity we discuss profound questions about ephemerality, energy, presence and what remains when a work only exists for weeks before disappearing…

From training as a stone sculptor to making her first site-specific drawing on ice at a Hamburg skating rink, from dumping all her figurative work after one transformative conversation with her professor to developing custom tape formulas with German manufacturers—Monika's journey reveals how radical simplicity can be the most powerful artistic choice.

Key insights from this episode:

• How one professor's comment changed everything

• The longevity of tape installations: 2-3 months before they fall apart (and why that's intentional)

• Documentation philosophy: why time-lapse videos don't capture the real process

• Living inside an installation: the collector who surrounded herself with Monika's work

• Advice for emerging artists: you don't need funding or large studios—just do it

Monika Grzymala is a Polish artist based in Berlin. You can find out more about her work on her website: http://www.t-r-a-n-s-i-t.net/ and follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monika.grzymala/

Monika’s publications: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/search/results?q=monika grzymala

She is represented by

Galerie CRONE: https://www.galeriecrone.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/galerie_crone/

BERG Contemporary: https://www.bergcontemporary.is/en | https://www.instagram.com/bergcontemporary/

SECCI Gallery: https://www.seccigallery.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/secci_gallery/

03:20 Studio Rituals

03:48 Berlin Life And Process

05:44 Origins And Training

08:01 Finding The Line

13:25 Ephemeral Tape Philosophy

31:24 Hunting For The Perfect Tape

32:21 Liquid Drawing Mindset

36:14 Funding Ephemeral Installations

38:06 Energy, Memory And Reality

41:31 Logistics And Documentation

56:15 Advice For Young Artists

Also mentioned in this episode:

MoMA: https://www.moma.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/themuseumofmodernart | @themuseumofmodernart

The Drawing Center: https://drawingcenter.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/drawingcenter/

Biennale of Sydney: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/ | https://www.instagram.com/biennalesydney/ | @biennaleofsydney

Tokyo Art Museum: https://www.tobikan.jp/en/ | https://www.instagram.com/tokyometropolitanartmuseum/ | @tokyometropolitanartmuseum7280

Louise Bourgeois: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bourgeois | https://www.instagram.com/artistelouisebourgeois/

Documenta: https://documenta.de/en | https://www.instagram.com/documenta_official | @documenta_official

Bogomir Ecker: https://www.artforum.com/events/bogomir-ecker-2-226647/

Olafur Eliasson: https://olafureliasson.net/ | https://www.instagram.com/studioolafureliasson/ Dian Woodner: https://patronview.com/patrons/dian-woodner

Frac Lorraine: https://www.fraclorraine.org/en/ | https://www.instagram.com/fraclorraine/ | @49nord6est-fraclorraine

Kunstlerhaus Dortmund: https://www.kh-do.de/ | https://www.instagram.com/kuenstlerinnenhaus_dortmund | @kunstlerhausdortmund2577

Kunstmuseum Basel: https://kunstmuseumbasel.ch/ | https://www.instagram.com/kunstmuseumbasel/ | @kumubasel

The Installation Art Podcast is a show about people who love and work with the contemporary art medium of installation. The host Anastasia Parmson, an artist herself, interviews internationally renowned artists and arts workers about the intricacies and behind-the-scenes stories of creating and showing work that is site-specific, ephemeral, large scale or immersive.

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