MONIKA
HAUCK
Monika Eva Hauck aka monautomaton, is a Canadian/Polish VJ based in Helsinki, Finland. She designs visuals for live performances, festivals, interactive installations and exhibitions and events. She crafts digital landscapes and worlds that merge the surreal with abstract . She focuses on digital tomfoolery, immersion, audio interactivity, improvisation and temporary reality levitation.
She has created visuals for a number of national and inter-nationally recognized artists from the likes of Canadian heavy-hitters such as US Girls, Deerhoof, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and The Sorority. She has regularly VJ'd and animated the stage for events with the Art Gallery of Ontario, Kazoo Festival, Wavelength Music, Hillside Festival, Flourish Festival Electric Eclectics and numerous DIY/underground events.
During this residency Monika explored found and recycled materials and engaged in a process of subconscious association and development of form through a playful approach to sculpture and installation. She is inspired both by the found materials themselves, as in “Candy Coded” and “Eve & Eve”. She also expanded on her painting and drawings in sculptural form by taking elements and creating paper mache sculptures (“Clot”, “Basket”, “Assorted Rings”).
“Candy Coded”
Installation
Various Dimensions
2024
While sourcing materials for paper mache sculptures, I came across several colored sheets of paper in the recycling bin. The colors immediately evoked specific associations to me as reflected in contemporary culture, even though I found them outside their original context. I couldn’t help but wonder about the purpose these sheets had served before being discarded.
In particular, I reflected on the way gender is often represented through colors and how the meanings and symbolism tied to colors continue to evolve and be reclaimed. Was it a gender reveal party? Or perhaps the transgender pride flag? Is it a snake, or could it represent something entirely different?
“Eve & Eve”
Digital Collage
Diptych
2024
As I continued to explore subconscious associations with found materials, I immediately saw these two pink sheets as a pair. They are displayed just as I found them, without any modification. I chose to present them as a diptych to reflect my instinctive response to traditional and historical representations of gender.
What intrigues me is how our minds can create subconscious connections with ordinary objects. I found myself assigning meaning to these sheets, even though they were encountered outside of any curated context. To deepen this exploration, I created a generative digital collage, layering symbolic imagery linked to fertility, Christianity, and nature. This collage introduces new interpretations and connections, expanding on the initial associations.
“Clot”
Paper Mache
110cm x 60cm x 18cm
2024
“Basket”
Paper Mache
50cm x 50cm x 20cm
2024
“Assorted Rings”
Paper Mache
Various Dimensions
2024
This series of paper mache sculptures is an expanded exploration of the shapes and forms that occur in my paintings. With painting, I usually take an intuitive approach, creating simple geometric and biomorphic shapes while playing with color without focusing on a final composition or result. For me, painting is often a therapeutic, personal process that allows subconscious elements to surface freely. However, there are moments in my paintings where I wish I could recompose or rearrange elements. I decided to investigate these forms by bringing them into the physical world through sculpture.
I chose paper mache for several reasons: it’s a method I’ve worked with before, it allows me to use mostly sustainable and recycled materials, and it mirrors the playful nature of painting with watercolors. As they dried, the shapes evolved naturally, taking on new forms in the process. These sculptures are not meant to be finely made or overly polished, but rather serve as objects of free association. Their simple aesthetic invites viewers to make their own connections, hinting at familiar shapes, symbols, or meanings.
“Alignments”
Pen on Paper
30cm x 42cm
2024
Each day at Kunsthaus began with a drawing session before I started any other work. I followed the same method daily, manipulating linear grids to explore perspective, paying careful attention to drawing straight lines with some level of precision. This routine fostered mindfulness, allowing me to check in with myself and let my mind either focus or wander as needed.
Individually, the drawings reflect moments when I may have been distracted; the lines appear looser and more hurried. Often, an accidental bent or crooked line would draw my attention back to the task at hand. Collectively, the drawings create a more abstract linear relationship, shifting the focus from individual lines to the geometric forms and overall perspective they represent.