There’s something comforting about a nice, crocheted blanket. And conceptual artist Agata Oleksiak, AKA Olek, knows best, having focused almost exclusively on the art of crochet. Still, her pieces have a witty, contemporary edge to them.
“I think crochet, the way I create it, is a metaphor for the complexity and interconnectedness of our body and its systems and psychology,” she stated in 2009. “The connections are stronger as one fabric as opposed to separate strands, but, if you cut one, the whole thing will fall apart. Relationships are complex and greatly vary situation to situation. They are developmental journeys of growth and transformation. Time passes, great distances are surpassed and the fabric which individuals are composed of compiles and unravels simultaneously.”
Her work differs in size and includes sculptures and installations such as crocheted bicycles and inflatables. She has also covered buildings, sculptures, people, and an apartment with crochet and has exhibited in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, France, Italy, Poland, and Costa Rica.
Currently based in New York City, the Polish artist in an avid supporter
women’s rights, equality, and freedom of expression.
