Malgosia Stepnik is a Polish born mixed-media artist who is now based in the UK. She grew up in a rural area of south west Poland, where she was surrounded by the beauty of nature, with mountains and forests on the doorstep. This fostered an early interest in art, although initially she studied for a degree in psychology.
However, the urge to follow her true vocation as an artist became irresistible, and Stepnik quit her course in Poland, travelling first to Paris and then on to London. She immersed herself in the thriving artistic and cultural scene of these cities, and sought to educate herself independently by visiting art galleries.
In 2002, she graduated from Christie’s Modern and Contemporary Art Studies. It was here that she found her true calling as an artist, when she had the opportunity to meet inspiring women such as Lizzie Perotte, the director of the course. Stepnik began to develop her trademark abstract style, drawing on the circular forms and colours found in nature.
After a couple of years of working in Paris, Stepnik returned to London, where she enrolled on a BA course in Fine Arts at the City and Guilds London College of Art. After graduating with a first class degree in 2008 she has held three solo exhibitions of her work.
Speaking about her work, Stepnik said: “It’s all about the journey of the mind. What fascinates me is how each person I met, has a different perception and understanding of their personal and shared experiences. My great desire is to challenge perceptions.”
Stepnik’s mesmerising use of flowing curves, circular forms and contrasting bold colours transport the viewer from the world of the everyday, and remind us that we are all a part of the great mystery of the universe.