I didn’t choose lace— lace chose me.
NeSpoon
A cheeky intro is unnecessary when profiling mixed-media artist NeSpoon because her work truly speaks for itself. Lace is the basis of the Polish artist’s multi-decade and multi-disciplinary practice, in which she creates impressive, large-scale murals that pop off the walls with a sense of dimension and texture.
The photos of her murals and other lace-inspired pieces throughout this article do far more than my little words ever could, so I encourage you to dive right in!
NeSpoon reflects on her fascination with lace, the power of public art, and her process below. (Interview lightly edited for length and clarity.)
When did you first become so enamored by lace? What drew you in and inspired you to make lace such a central part of your artistic practice?
I didn’t choose lace— lace chose me. At first, it reminded me of the past—dusty apartments, outdated, pretentious clothing. In my country, Poland, lace is part of folk art, which also wasn’t something I was particularly drawn to. I’ve always liked modern design and minimalism. For many years, I painted minimalist abstract works on canvas, until one day I felt I had reached a dead end and needed a reset.
I put down my brushes and turned to ceramics. Pressing lace into fresh clay is one of the oldest and most popular ways to decorate ceramics around the world. I made dozens of such pieces until one day I realized that lace patterns are beautiful on their own— they don’t need a functional object like a cup or a plate to be appreciated.
I like to think of lace as a graphic expression of harmony and good energy.
So I made a few purely decorative lace-based objects and glued them to city walls. At that time, ceramic street art wasn’t common. There was Space Invader, of course, but he used ready-made tiles— I made everything from scratch, following the traditional ceramic process. When I posted the photos online, they went viral, and soon I started receiving invitations to street art festivals around the world.
I like to think of lace as a graphic expression of harmony and good energy. People simply enjoy it— they smile when they see it. And that makes me happy.
How did you get into the world of street art? What is it about creating large-scale works in public spaces that you enjoy most?
In the early 2000s, I co-founded an NGO with a few friends. Our only goal was to introduce regulations to control outdoor advertising in Poland. After the fall of communism, outdoor ads in the most aggressive and kitschy forms completely took over our cities within a few years. There were no legal tools to stop this process, since such regulations were unnecessary in the socialist economy.
After seven years of lobbying, we finally convinced parliament to pass a law, and things slowly began to improve. But I thought, if corporations can take over and destroy public space for their own purposes on such a massive scale, then my illegal ceramics or graffiti aren’t harmful at all. In fact, they do quite the opposite.
Over time, my work started to gain recognition, and I began receiving commissions for large-scale murals. That’s a different kind of responsibility— people live with these works for years, and they should feel good around them. That awareness shapes my approach to every project and to how I think about the transformation of shared spaces.
Your massive lace murals are mesmerizing, full of detail and depth. What is your process for designing and painting them?
My murals are essentially in situ installations rooted in local cultural heritage. When I arrive at a new location, the first step is always research and documentation of local lace-making traditions. I visit museums and art galleries, search through city archives, and try to find local lace associations or active lace-makers.
When I arrive at a new location, the first step is always research and documentation of local lace-making
If I can’t find anything, I simply walk around the neighborhood, knock on doors, and ask residents about lace. I always find something. Behind every lace piece, there’s usually a personal story— about a mother or grandmother who made it, or about a lace given as a wedding gift. I love those stories.
Once I find the right pattern, I design the mural around it, choosing colors that harmonize with the surrounding environment. Depending on the technical conditions, I sketch the design freehand or use a video projector. I see the projector as a practical tool— it can save a day or two of work. I don’t fetishize painting freehand.
The following days are spent filling in textures and shading— the parts that make the pattern come alive and appear three-dimensional. I usually choose medium-sized walls— large enough to make an impact, but still human in scale.
Behind every lace piece, there’s usually a personal story— about a mother or grandmother who made it, or about a lace given as a wedding gift. I love those stories.
You clearly work across many different media and art forms, exploring ideas and themes in various ways. Why is this diversity important to you as an artist?
I’m an extremely impatient person— I get bored easily. Working across different media and subjects allows me to jump between projects. Each one brings a new challenge, a new energy, a new idea.
What aspect of your career or body of work are you proudest of?
I think what makes me happiest is that art has become both my passion and my profession — my way of making a living. Many artists struggle to find balance between the need to create and the need to survive financially, because artistic work often doesn’t provide stability. That’s a very difficult phase to get through; it takes years of persistence, discipline, and dedication. It can easily kill creativity and motivation. I was lucky to make it through.
Institutions provide opportunities, but the street gives me freedom.
I also love the fact that I can work both with major cultural institutions— galleries, museums—and still create spontaneously, sometimes even illegally, directly in the streets. Institutions provide opportunities, but the street gives me freedom.
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