Julia Ciułek

Year of birth: 2000.
Where do you live: Poland.
Your education: I graduated with honors from the Bachelor’s program in Glass Art and Design at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, where I am currently pursuing my Master’s studies.
Describe your art in three words: Intimate, haunting, introspective.
Your discipline: glass art.
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Your works beautifully integrate fragility, transparency, and light. How do you balance these qualities while working with glass, and what emotional significance do they hold for you?

Glass, to me, is a medium full of contradictions—it can take on fluid, organic forms just as easily as static, tense structures. It is highly malleable yet fragile and unpredictable. This duality allows me to explore tensions between balance and disruption, control and uncertainty, the visible and what lies hidden beneath the surface. Every property of glass—its structure, texture, the way it reflects or absorbs light—shapes how my works are perceived. I deliberately choose the form and nature of the material to emphasize the emotions I want to convey. Its susceptibility to deformation and fractures becomes a metaphor for tension, internal conflicts, and the instability concealed beneath an outward sense of calm. It is this layered nature that makes glass, for me, not just a material but a language—one that speaks of boundaries, tensions, and emotions suspended between harmony and collapse.

Julia Ciułek | Singularity | 2023

Your project statement mentions the exploration of societal issues. Can you tell us how these themes manifest in your glass artworks and what message you aim to convey?

My work is deeply rooted in reflection on the world I live in and the issues that affect me, my loved ones, and society as a whole. I explore themes of inequality, systemic injustice, cultural norms, and individual identity. Glass is the perfect medium for examining these topics because its fragility and transparency can symbolize impermanence, the illusion of stability, and the boundaries between awareness and ignorance. In my piece Let’s Meet in Better Times, I address society’s passivity toward the climate crisis. The installation features a vessel in which one can “wash their hands”—a gesture that metaphorically represents avoiding responsibility and shifting it onto others. The water in the vessel symbolizes our false sense of purification, the justification of inaction, while real problems persist and continue to grow. With this work, I wanted to encourage viewers to reflect on how often we choose passive observation over action and how easily we excuse our lack of response. I believe that art has the power not only to raise awareness but also to provoke change—even if it begins with a single question in our minds.

Glass is a medium often associated with fragility. How do you approach this vulnerability in your work, and does it symbolize something deeper in your exploration of contemporary challenges?

Glass is a material traditionally associated with fragility, which is a fundamental aspect of its nature. However, it is full of contradictions—it can be both delicate and brittle, yet sharp and aggressive. It can either transmit light or block it, be raw, deformed, matte, or perfectly smooth. This diversity gives me immense expressive possibilities, and I consciously select each of its properties to align with the emotions and message I want to convey in my work. It is precisely this variability that makes me see glass as a reflection of human nature and contemporary issues. At times, I create tension through jagged, raw, and sharp edges; other times, I deliberately induce cracks and deformations to reveal the pressure and fragility of what appears solid. When I want to emphasize the illusion of security, control, or perfection, I choose perfectly smooth, almost flawless glass—yet even the slightest pressure can cause it to crack and shatter. Each of these qualities carries meaning and stems from a deliberate choice. For me, glass is more than just a material—it is a language of tension, fragility, and contradiction, through which I express the conflicts and contrasts that shape our world.

Julia Ciułek | Your Dirty Loundry | 2023

Your works have been exhibited internationally, and you’ve received various awards. How does the recognition of your work shape your creative journey and your perspective on your art practice?

Every recognition and opportunity to present my art on an international stage is a great honor, but above all, a motivation for further growth. It confirms that the themes I explore resonate not only within my immediate surroundings but also in a broader, global context. These experiences have also given me greater confidence as an artist—both in what I create and in how I speak about it. The recognition of my work has given me the courage to experiment, take risks, and trust my own intuition.

You mention that your artistic practice is deeply rooted in your daily reality and the challenges faced by the community. Can you share more about the specific societal issues you address through your work and why they are important to you?

In my work, I explore themes that stem from observing contemporary society and the mechanisms that shape it. I am particularly interested in how cultural norms, systemic inequalities, and social pressure influence individual identity and choices. I examine the impact of society on the individual, investigating the forces that shape our sense of self, decisions, and perceptions. What fascinates me is the paradox of modern culture—on one hand, it glorifies uniqueness, while on the other, it enforces conformity. In You’re so special, I analyze how the pressure to fit into societal molds turns individuality into an illusion, where authenticity gives way to imitation. I also explore the boundaries of privacy and intimacy, especially in the context of social expectations. In the installation Your dirty laundry, I examine the tension between the need for authenticity and the pressure to conform—how much of ourselves we reveal under societal influence and where we draw the line we refuse to cross. The glass garments intertwined with metal chains symbolize both our fragility and the barriers that protect our privacy. Another significant aspect of my artistic exploration is the impact of contemporary habits and values on everyday life. In Seven Sins of Modernity, I analyze the destructive mechanisms that govern today’s world—from misinformation and discrimination to consumerism. I question to what extent our choices stem from real needs and how much they are dictated by societal structures. Art provides me with a space for reflection on these processes and an opportunity to question the direction in which we, as a society, are heading.

Julia Ciułek | Singularity | 2023

How does your glass artwork engage the viewers? Do you have a particular experience or reaction from viewers that you find especially impactful?

My works engage viewers on multiple levels—visual, emotional, and intellectual—often provoking reflection and personal interpretation. What fascinates me most is how differently my work can be perceived, depending on the particular viewer. It often happens that their interpretations diverge from my original concept, but this is precisely what makes art alive—it begins to exist independently of me, resonating with the recipient in completely unexpected ways. The greatest joy comes from moments when someone approaches me to talk—about their interpretation, emotions, and associations. I believe that art exists to open us up, provoke thought, and create a space for conversation.

Your project “Singularity” seems to explore an emotional depth through the material. Can you talk about the emotional narrative in this particular work and its connection to your overall artistic vision?

Singularity is a story of mystery, uncertainty, and the limits of understanding. A black hole, though rooted in science, becomes primarily an emotional metaphor in my work—a symbol of what is unattainable, elusive, yet simultaneously captivating and hypnotic. Glass in this installation acts as a barrier between what we can see and what remains beyond our reach. It is a veil of mystery through which we perceive only the outline of truth, while the rest remains unspoken. This uncertainty creates tension—a balance between the desire to know and the acceptance of the unknown. Emotionally, Singularity speaks of confronting what we do not understand, of fascination with what is hidden, and of the boundaries of human experience. It is a reflection on our urge to control and define reality, while some things must simply be felt—even if we never fully comprehend them.

Julia Ciułek | Singularity | 2023