Selected as “one to watch” by RWA President Fiona Robinson, Ilona Skladzien’s powerful piece Grounded in Motion features in this year’s 172 Annual Open Exhibition. 

Showcasing 450 works by artists from across the UK, the Annual Open is one of the most diverse and inclusive exhibitions in the RWA calendar. Spanning a wide range of media - including painting, sculpture, printmaking and more - the exhibition celebrates contemporary creativity in all its forms. 

All works are chosen by a panel of RWA Academicians and invited external selectors, chaired by President Fiona Robinson. We caught up with Ilona to find out more about her work, her practice and why she wanted to be part of this year's Annual Open Exhibition. 

Hello IIona, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. Our first question is why did you want your work to be in the 172 Annual Open? 

Thank you for including my work in the RWA. It’s such a privilege to exhibit in this historic space, alongside so many talented artists. 

There were several reasons I decided to enter the Annual Open. I missed the entry deadline for last year’s show, but seeing the standard of work exhibited made me determined not to miss it again this year. 

I find the gallery upstairs, with its beautiful skylights, very appealing. It has a warm and airy feel to it. I was particularly hoping to show my paper napkin works here, to see how they would interact with the natural light coming through the skylights, and how the space, the light, and the work would all play off each other. 

Your work is rooted in domestic materials — the everyday. Can you tell us a little more about how this, or anything else, informs your practice? 

My practice stems directly from my everyday life, and this influences the materials I choose to work with. 

I’ve been working with domestic materials and objects for some time, but it truly became the core of my practice over the last three years. After having my daughter, I started paying more attention to what surrounds me, the objects and materials that are part of daily life, like paper napkins, wet wipes or dolls. 

I enjoy the experimental nature of working with materials that aren’t typically used for making art. I like discovering their qualities without having any preconception of what the outcome will be, and instead allowing the material to guide me. This way of working tends to give better results, although I find this approach challenging. It requires constant reminders to work with the material rather than against it. 

With the paper napkin works, two of which are shown in this year’s RWA Annual Open, it’s their humble quality and their endless potential that make me return to them time and again. Also, I am fascinated by their seemingly fragile, yet surprisingly resilient nature, especially when combined with a bit of thread. 

Working with domestic materials doesn’t exclude me from creating more traditional pieces. I also work with pen, charcoal, and pencil, where the themes of the domestic and the everyday are also central. 

Your piece in the Annual Open, Grounded in Motion, is both a sculpture and a drawing — would you agree with this, and how long does it take to create a work like this? 

Yes, absolutely. I refer to these works interchangeably as drawings, sculptures, or installations. To me, they exist somewhere in between. Sometimes the way they are hung emphasises qualities of one category more than other. 

In terms of making the paper napkin works, it’s hard to define the time involved. Some elements are reused from previous pieces that didn’t quite succeed. The pieces often sit in the studio for a while, brewing and waiting for the right moment to come together. 

In the smaller piece in the exhibition titled 'In Frame', I used napkin fragments with drawings I made three or four years ago. Until now, despite my best efforts, they hadn’t found their place in any work. 

When it comes to assembling the final piece, when everything finally comes together, the process can be quite fast. 

One rule I tend to follow in the making process is to put the work away for a while. This helps me detach from it and see it more clearly later. It does lengthen the making process, but it also saves time in the end by allowing for better final decisions and clearer problem solving. 

You can see Ilona Skladzien’s Grounded in Motion at the RWA 172 Annual Open Exhibition until 28 December 
 

Image credit: Khali Ackford / KoLAB Studios