Konrad Smela

Konrad Smela is an Assistant Professor at the 3rd Studio of Sculpture and Environment, Faculty of Sculpture, Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznań (UAP), where he has worked since 2022. He graduated with distinction from the Piotr Potworowski Secondary School of Fine Arts in Poznań (Spatial Design, 2016) and earned his Master's degree in Sculpture from UAP in 2022. His artistic practice spans classical and digital sculptural techniques, including 3D printing, digital scanning, and traditional plaster casting.

• Education
  • Secondary: Spatial Design, Piotr Potworowski Secondary School of Fine Arts (2012-2016)
  • Master's: Sculpture, University of Arts in Poznań (2016-2022)

Smela's work investigates intersections between contemporary doomer subculture and Romanticism, particularly Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther. He employs mixed media such as plaster busts, RISO-printed zines, and resin miniatures to explore themes of loneliness, existential overwhelm, and escapism through pop culture. Notable exhibitions include Wandering Through Doomerism (Rotunda UAP Gallery) and Unrest (Mosina Art Gallery), both 2023.

Scientific awards:

• NOTO Art Foundation Award (2018)
• Mosina Art Gallery Special Award (2021)
• Kopczyński Family Honorary Mention (2021)

His artistic methodology combines digital fabrication (3D printing) with traditional techniques, emphasizing the spectrum between figuration and abstraction. Smela actively participates in the Józef Kopczyński Student Biennial of Small Sculptural Forms as a commissioner since 2022.