Michelle Cieloszczyk is a Canadian visual artist working in sculpture, installation, and public art. Her work investigates hierarchical power relations that enforce submission, control, and moral binaries. She is currently captivated by visual representations of the permeable body as an analogy for its vulnerability to ideological intrusions, and reflecting upon her Polish Catholic upbringing. Michelle is currently pursuing an MFA at the University of Michigan, and she holds a BFA in Sculpture/Installation from OCAD University. She was awarded the Jean Paul Slusser Fellowship, Haydn Davies Memorial Award, Best of 3D Works Award and the Most Innovative Use of Material Award at Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. Michelle has received nine grants from Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, and Canada Council of the Arts.

During her residency at Kintai, Michelle is investigating the role of suffering and sacrifice in religious and cultural practices by sculpting a Marzanna doll made of branches, straw, and plaster. Marzanna is the Slavic goddess of winter, death, and disease, according to pagan tradition, this sacrificial woman is burned or drowned as an effigy on the first day of spring.

▶ Kintai Arts residency programme for individual projects