Most pottery artists use their skills to craft practical and visually appealing items, such as mugs and plates, but Karolina Romanowska opted for a different approach. She specializes in crafting some of the strangest hand-built ceramic masks that you’ll ever come across.
Romanowska hails from Madison, Wisconsin, and it was clear she was destined to become a ceramic artist since her childhood. Being in her studio reminds her of the days she spent playing in the dirt, experiencing true freedom while transforming mud into food, birds, and castles.
She didn’t want to let go of this time and her ceramic art made it possible to turn her childhood hobby into a viable career. Her art significantly evolved over the years, and she eventually shifted focus to making quirky, colorful masks.
With their wild expression and a splash of vibrant colors on their faces, her masks look unlike anything we’ve seen before, but she doesn’t think there’s anything revolutionary in her choice to focus on them since they’ve been around since the dawn of time.
“Masks are present wherever humans are. I am only repeating an act that has been done since the beginning of us. Used for rituals and entertainment, masks can hide or reveal who we are,” Romanowska told Colossal.
