1. What is your name?

Kasia Gatkowska.

2. What is your professional practice?

I am an interior photographer.

3. What did you make?

This series of abstract photographs was created during my residency at Joya: AiR in Los Gázquez, Spain.

I wanted to step away from the familiar rhythm of my work as a photographer for a while, so I decided to leave for Spain without a plan and let the location guide me. A friend accompanied me, and we drove 2000 km to Andalucía, taking a week to get there. During the road trip, we could already feel ourselves slowly disconnecting from work and our daily lives.

At Joya, inspired by its beautiful surroundings, I made small installations from things I found around the house: tools once used by the peasant family who lived there, construction remnants from the house itself, and artworks left behind by previous residents. I combined these with stones, plants and other natural elements, moving things around until the compositions started to work. I then photographed these installations, turning them into a series of abstract images.

A corner outside the house became the backdrop for an improvised daylight studio. The light in Los Gázquez was incredibly clear and sharp, unlike the soft, diffused light I am used to. Even the moonlight cast distinct shadows. The quality of this light stayed with me and inspired the title Moonlight Abstracts.

4. Why did it need to be made?

I think I simply needed to make something without knowing beforehand where it would lead. My commissioned work is often very collaborative and purpose-driven, which I enjoy, but I was curious to see what would happen if I started with no brief and no expectations.

Travelling by car to Andalucía was part of that experience. It was wonderful to travel slowly, stopping in beautiful old villages and museums along the way. The Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres especially left a big impression and rekindled my lifelong passion for Surrealist art. The suspended objects in some of Dalí’s works also resonated with how I felt at Joya: suspended in time, in between worlds, for a short while.

5. What does this work give you that your commissioned work doesn’t?

It gives me the freedom to work without a predefined outcome. At Joya, I just followed my curiosity and responded to what was around me, rather than starting with a brief or a client’s expectations.

One of the things I consciously changed was my way of photographing. I decided to leave my tripod behind, even though it is an essential part of my usual equipment. Instead, I used my body to determine my standpoint and composition. That physical, intuitive way of working has stayed with me and is something I now bring into my regular work as well.

Since returning, I’ve also made more time for personal projects. They give me space to experiment, and I find that this inevitably feeds back into my commissioned work. I try to stay curious and not approach things on automatic pilot.