About the Artists: Monica Peksa "The Diversity of Paper"

Venue: Satyricon Gallery, 36 Main Square, main hall

Dates: 14.04.-30.05.2026

Opening: 8^th May 2026

Admission free

Nowadays, when overproduction and overconsumption dominate, and new items clutter the world (and the oceans), it is so important, also in jewellery, to focus attention on something small, natural, unique, used and give it a second life. Monica Peksa does it masterfully. – Justyna Teodorczyk PHD, the director of the Gallery of Art in Legnica

The exhibition is presented as the Director of the Gallery of Art in Legnica Award, conferred during Milano Jewelry Week 2024.

Monica Peksa works with a material that is, by definition, impermanent and may therefore appear insignificant. Yet, it is precisely within this material, that she discovers endless possibilities for expression and for shaping form. She experiments with paper recovered from old books and pizza boxes. Her practice is based on inverting meanings, transforming what seems worthless into something of value.

Peksa works intuitively. She treats paper as a partner – delicate, yet receptive to transformation, remaining in dialogue with it. She navigates the tension between fragility and durability. She reaches for colour, which in her works reflects the changing seasons. Her favourite hues are turquoise, evoking memories of the sea, and patinated copper, in which she perceives the shimmering traces of a world that no longer exists. She often returns to the circular form, which she regards as perfect.

Her unique jewellery pieces are the result of a patient, almost meditative process carried out at her home table, in the living room. Her works arise from a love of experimentation, and each object bears witness to remarkable sensitivity and respect for this modest yet exceptionally inspiring material.

“The Diversity of Paper” poses questions about what we consider valuable and on what terms. Observing the nature of transformation and the versatility of paper – which may be both waste and a work of art, at times yielding morphic forms, at other times industrial ones, or structures inspired by origami – we look, as though into a mirror, at our own perspective: the simple can appear complex, while the complex may prove surprisingly simple.

Monica Peksa – born in 1967, Austrian designer, goldsmith and educator. She graduated in art and design education and textile design from the University of Art and Design in Linz, as well as from the Elsa Drobny Goldsmith School in the same city (journeyman diploma). Since 1992 she has been working as a secondary-school teacher.

After her studies she quickly realised that the value of jewellery does not depend on the preciousness of its materials. Paper became her preferred medium. Her work is grounded in revaluing the used, transforming meanings, and engaging in a dialogue with what we tend to consider worthy or unworthy. Experiment lies at the core of her practice. She draws on the tradition of origami, closely observes nature, and explores how matter responds to industrial transformations.

In 2024, her works were presented during Milano Jewelry Week.