Monika Gardyla

Monika Gardyla is a Polish-born, self-taught artist whose artwork bridges continents, cultures, and disciplines. Based between London and Itacaré—a small coastal town surrounded by the Atlantic rainforest in southern Bahia, Brazil where Monika decided to build her house and art studio. She draws constant inspiration from the contrasts in her environment: urban structure vs. wild nature, design vs. instinct, geometry vs. organic form.

For the last few years, her artistic practice has focused primarily on collage, using vintage book covers as the foundation for bold, tactile compositions. Each piece is built from reclaimed materials: aged paper, found objects, and textures gathered from both cities and jungle landscapes. This hands-on process, deeply intuitive and unplanned, gives her work a raw energy and honesty that resonates with collectors and design lovers alike.

In a recent project, Monika created 161 original collage works for the Kimpton Main Hotel in Frankfurt. Each piece was designed specifically for the guest rooms, giving the hotel a unique visual identity. This project combined her signature collage style with architectural sensitivity and scale—bringing handmade art into a curated hospitality experience.

Monika also...

WAM - MILITARY MEDICAL ACADEMY

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ART - Summer Exhibition 2022_London
BURST- Group exhibition organised by Cultivate_ April 2022
BOOK - Group exhibition organised by Cultivate_ February 2022
DEFLECT - Group exhibition organised by Cultivate_January_2022
HASTINGS CONTEMPORARY - Group exhibition 2021/2022_Hasting
MAIS QUE NADA - Solo Exhibition_January 2021_ Brazil
TROBAT - Group exhibition 2021_ Mallorca