Meet Kasia Skorynkiewicz | Artist, Curator, & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kasia Skorynkiewicz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kasia, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born in Poland and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of four. Growing up as a Polish American deeply shaped who I am. We didn’t have much as our clothes came from thrift stores, toys were knock-offs, and we often found furniture and other items off the street, which I still do today. While many people quietly take curbside finds, I’ve always embraced it since it taught me to see potential where others see waste.

That mindset shaped my values and my art. I developed a love for vintage and discarded objects, which now drive my creative practice. I work with outdated technologies and mass-produced materials considered obsolete, transforming them through video, projection, photography, installation, and alternative photographic processes. My work explores themes of sustainability, obsolescence, and the shifting space between analog and digital.

That resourcefulness also defines my professional life where I can stretch any budget, make things work with limited means, and find creative solutions no matter the constraints.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
No, it hasn’t been easy. Being an artist means wearing many hats like being the creator, admin, tech person, producer, and more, often all at once. What’s kept me going is the drive to make though provoking art that has never been seen before and then to share it with the world. I’ve learned that nothing happens without passion, dedication, and follow through.

My work centers on outdated technologies and discarded objects, items deemed obsolete by the passage of time. I reimagine objects through video, projections, photography, installations, and alternative photographic processes to explore ephemerality, obsolescence, and sustainability. I aim to bridge the analog past with the digital present.

I’m proud of the path I’ve built, exhibiting widely, curating the IN 7 video residency at Gardenship in NJ, and having an active studio at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City before relocating to Kingston, NY. I also teach time-based media at Montclair State University and serve as Media Coordinator for the Department of Art & Design at that school. Balancing a creative practice with the demands of work and life isn’t easy. Making art is only part of the equation but surviving in this modern world as an artist means wearing many hats and also working multiple jobs. It’s a lot, to say the least, but I don’t know any other way to live.

Professionally, I’ve spent 20 years in video and film, including eight years in Los Angeles working on award-winning projects with HBO, Nickelodeon, and MTV. I want people to know that my work and story is rooted in resilience, resourcefulness, and a deep need to create something from nothing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a tough one since I recently relocated from Jersey City, where NYC was just a quick hop away, to Kingston, NY, which has a completely different but equally vibrant energy. If a friend came to visit, I’d show them the best of my new home.

We’d start by exploring some of Kingston’s local art spots, like ArtYard and the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW). Then, we’d head down to the Rondout waterfront, where I live, for a walk along the Hudson River. We’d wrap up the day with dinner at Eliza, followed by drinks and live music at Tubby’s, a great local hangout.

If the weather’s right (and depending on the friend!), we might go kayaking on the river or try a yoga class. Kingston has a lot to offer like nature, culture, great food, and a strong creative community.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out Gardenship, an art space and organization in Northern New Jersey that believed in my vision to create IN 7, an experimental video art residency. They provided the space and support to launch IN 7, which is now heading into its sixth edition. Thanks to their continued dedication, we applied for and received a grant from Jersey City to expand the program. Their belief in the project has been instrumental in its growth and success.

Website: https://www.kasiaskorynkiewicz.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingandbecoming

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kasia.skorynkiewicz

Other: https://www.vimeo.com/kasiaskorynkiewicz