Mia Dudek

Shaped by mass housing and the global dynamics of urbanization, Mia Dudek examines how the body interacts with—and sometimes becomes estranged from—dense urban environments. Having lived in various European cities, Dudek has developed a distinct artistic language focused on the intersections of domestic and urban spaces. Her practice continuously investigates the relationship between the body and architectural structures, touching on themes of intimacy, displacement, and inhabiting. Combining archival research with nostalgia, she has spent years documenting large housing blocks and their interiors. These studies appear mainly as photographic prints but also take form in compelling sculptural and installation works. By juxtaposing raw materials like concrete and metal with softer substances such as expanding foam, latex, and resin, Dudek creates environments that evoke daily life—bathing, sunbathing on balconies, or idling near carpet hangers common in Eastern European homes. Adding an uncanny edge, vivid photographs of multicolored oyster mushrooms often appear growing along walls and corners, symbolizing resilience and life persisting even in harsh, overlooked places. ...