Monika Tkaczyk is a London-based contemporary glass artist whose practice explores light, perception, fragmentation and transformation. Working primarily with kiln-fired stained glass, she combines traditional techniques with a distinctly contemporary approach, creating works in which transparency, fracture and changing light become integral to the experience of the piece.
Trained at the Macbeth Centre in London under Tim Cunliffe, Tkaczyk has developed a practice that moves between technical precision and material unpredictability. Multiple kiln firings, layering, surface manipulation and structural assembly allow her to create works that are carefully considered while still leaving space for transformation during the making process.
Light plays a central role within Tkaczyk’s work. Rather than functioning simply as illumination, it becomes an active material, continually altering colour, depth and atmosphere. Her compositions explore psychological and emotional states through divisions, fractures and transitions, inviting viewers to experience the work differently according to their own position and perception.
Influenced by artists including J.M.W. Turner, Anselm Kiefer and Gerhard Richter, as well as the philosophy and craftsmanship of the Arts & Crafts movement, Tkaczyk brings together material tradition, abstraction and an interest in states of change. Her work considers thresholds, rupture and reconstruction, examining what can emerge when familiar structures are disrupted and reformed.
Are you self-taught, or did you undertake formal artistic training?
I developed my practice through a combination of structured study and sustained independent exploration. I trained at the Macbeth Centre in London under Tim Cunliffe, working across painting, ceramics and stained glass, while continuously refining my approach beyond formal frameworks. My work is grounded in traditional glass techniques but driven by a contemporary, self-directed inquiry into light, perception and transformation.
How would you define your visual language or conceptual approach?
My work operates at the intersection of material tradition and psychological states. I use kiln-fired stained glass not as decoration, but as a medium to explore instability, fracture and reconstruction. Light is not a secondary element. It is an active force that alters the work in real time, making each piece responsive and perceptual rather than fixed.
Can you describe your creative process from conception to completion?
Each piece begins with a conceptual tension, usually around fragmentation, thresholds or transformation. I translate this into a controlled composition, then deliberately introduce unpredictability through firing, layering and material interaction.
The process involves multiple kiln firings, surface manipulation and structural assembly using copper foil or lead. The final work is not just constructed but revealed through a balance of control and disruption.
Does narrative, symbolism, or storytelling play a role within your work?
Not in a literal sense. My work avoids direct narrative and instead creates conditions that are emotional, energetic and perceptual. Symbolism emerges through structure. Fractures, divisions and light transitions act as metaphors for internal states. The viewer completes the meaning through their own perception.
Which artists have most influenced you historically or contemporarily and why?
I’m influenced by artists who work with transformation and material tension, including Anselm Kiefer for his treatment of history and surface, Gerhard Richter for instability and abstraction, and the legacy of the Arts & Crafts movement, particularly William Morris, for its integration of material integrity and philosophy.
J.M.W. Turner is also a key influence. His work goes beyond representation into atmosphere and perception, where form dissolves into light and colour. What draws me is not only the visual intensity, but the way his paintings create a contemplative, almost immersive state. That sensitivity to light as an emotional and spatial force strongly informs how I approach glass.
What personal, cultural, or environmental influences shape your practice?
My work is shaped by a combination of Central European sensitivity to history and transition, and the pace and complexity of living in London. I’m also influenced by spiritual practices that focus on energy and perception, which directly inform how I think about light as a living element within the work.
Where is your studio based, and how does the space inform your creativity?
I work between my home studio and the Macbeth Centre in London. My home space is where I develop and fire my work independently, allowing for a continuous and responsive practice. It gives me the flexibility to work directly with the kiln and engage with the process at any stage.
Alongside this, the Macbeth Centre provides access to larger-scale equipment, technical support and a strong artistic community. This dual structure allows me to balance autonomy with dialogue, moving between focused, solitary production and a shared environment that supports experimentation and growth.
London itself feeds into the work through its intensity, contrast and constant movement. The studio becomes a place where that external energy is distilled into controlled, material form.
The environment is both intense and generative. There is constant movement, contrast and pressure, which feeds into the tension within my work.
Do you have any rituals or rhythms that anchor your studio practice?
Yes. My process is structured, but not rigid. I work in focused phases of concept, execution and firing, each requiring a different mental state.
Meditation plays an important role in grounding the work. It allows me to move into a more focused and receptive state, where ideas begin to form with clarity. Often, a piece starts as a persistent internal image that demands to be realised. I follow that impulse with precision rather than hesitation.
The most compelling part of the process is the firing. Despite preparation and control, the outcome is never entirely predictable. That moment of uncertainty is essential because it introduces transformation beyond intention. The act of opening the kiln becomes a point of revelation, where the work fully emerges.
What bodies of work or projects are you currently developing?
I am currently developing a series focused on thresholds and post-transformation states, with works that explore what remains after rupture or change. These pieces push further into the relationship between transparency, fracture and light as a shifting, unstable element.
Where can collectors encounter or acquire your work?
My work is presented through galleries, international exhibitions and curated publications, with recent and upcoming shows in London and across the UK, including Battersea Arts Centre and the William Morris Society at Kelmscott House.
My practice has also been featured in international publications and online exhibitions.
Collectors can view available works and enquire directly through my website:
