Veronika Szkudlarek

Szkudlarek’s experimental art practice is rooted in contemporary painting and experimental animation, where material processes and abstraction become sites for disruption and inquiry. The physical qualities of paint —its imperfections, clumps, wetness, marks—are central to her explorations that resist control. Her work situates experimental animation & contemporary painting as an evolving field of intervention, where experimentation with materials and forms becomes a critical method of research. Attentive to color relativity, her work emphasizes how even subtle color changes shift in relation to one another.  Her earth-tone pink palette draws on ancient and women’s histories, like clay fertility symbols, connecting color to a broader sense of shared human experience. This is contrasted with fragmented forms—such as inflatable dolls, intestinal shapes, plastic bags, and babushka dolls— playfully layering personal and cultural references.

Szkudlarek’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Queens Museum and KCAI: Centre for Contemporary Practices, and presented at institutions like NSCAD University, Columbia University, and the FATE Biennale. Gary Michael Dault of The Globe and Mail wrote that “artist Veronika Szkudlarek has already chalked up enough experiences to fuel a dozen careers in painting.” Her solo exhibition Lion Mouse in Toronto was highlighted as a must-see art event, as was her solo Painted Hybrids exhibited in Warsaw. Salman Toor and Doron Langberg included Szkudlarek's work in "In a Free State" at Luhring Augustine in 2026. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Merit Award from Pratt Institute and the OCAD University Faculty of Art Teaching Award, and has received multiple E-campus Ontario and Canada Foundation for Innovation research grants, as well as Seed funding, and was shortlisted for the BLG Equity Award. Her work has been featured in The Global Television Network, CTV News, and she has lectured globally in cities like New York City, Kigali, Jerusalem, Kansas City, Cairo, Oman, and Montreal.

Szkudlarek is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art at OCAD University.