MONIKA K. ADLER ENTERTAINMENT

Who is Petite Nicole? by Nicola Carley. Chapter Four : The Mad Polish ( about Monika K. Adler)

2012-01-31T05:57:00.000-08:00

Who is Petite Nicole? by Nicola Carley.

Chapter Four: The Mad Polish

Chapter four

The mad Polish

By the time the last week of February dawned, I had made friends with Jerome - another Canadian guy who had been staying in the Auberge and who, like me, had outstayed his welcome. He introduced me to the hostel just around the corner, which was great as it meant I only had a short distance to drag my possessions and they even had a lift – luxury! It felt as though I was beginning a new era. This excitement was soon dampened a few days later however, when I was told that the only bed available that night was a mattress on the floor in a room which already had one resident – or sharing the double bed with as yet unidentified resident. I took the floor. The next morning I was passing Starbucks on the start of another day scouring for jobs when through the glass, I noticed a girl I thought I recognised sitting in the window. She looked warm in a big long coat, and had dark, Eastern European looks with the almost compulsory highlights they often seemed to have in their hair. It shadowed half of her face and her wide, deep eyes. She sat inside, working on an Apple Mac as I stood freezing on the outside. I realised I recognised her because she too had been staying in the Auberge. I had never really noticed her before. She was the quiet ‘observer’ of the social experiments around her rather than a ‘participator’. I pushed the door open, walked over and introduced myself.

“Hi, I’m Nicola. I was staying in the same hostel as you the other day but I never had an opportunity to speak to you really.”

“Oh, yes. Of course I remember. You are the English girl in the hat.”

“Yeah. I guess that’s me.” I said, laughing. “I thought it needed a rest today. My name’s Nicola. Nice to meet you.” I proffered a hand.

“Hi, I’m Monika Adler. I’m from Poland.” She said taking it and I looked down, noticing her pale skin tone. “So, what are you doing in Paris?” She asked.

“To be honest? I guess there are many reasons really, but, well...” I paused. “More than anything I think, it’s that someone opened the door, just a crack, onto potentially, a whole new life. It opened to show me something with a beautiful exterior but I wasn’t here long enough to be able to scratch it off to see what was beneath it so, here I am, scratching!”

I wondered if I could also use that as an excuse to explain the awful state of my nails after living in a hostel for almost two months.

“You?”

“I’m an artist. I have an exhibition here in Paris, just off the rue de Rivoli, close to the Louvre,” she said, handing me a flyer. “I know some of the other artists working here in Paris and my friend agreed to loan me his exhibition space for a few weeks. Their art isn’t much good. They are all too obsessed with their own penises to see much beyond that but the relationship works for me at the moment,” she said, with a look of disdain. “You should come along and take a look at my work. I’m there every day from 1pm to around 7pm.”

“Cool. I will do. I have to do some job-hunting in the morning but I could pop by in the afternoon.”

***

And it was true, she was there, every day, all day with the video of her work playing on a loop, Nine Inch Nails providing the soundtrack to her Paris life. Like many artists, she sees herself as a work of art or as she calls herself – an international art icon. A glance at her own blog posts and the self-photography there and it would be easy to write her off as a narcissist. However, by looking beyond the surface, there is a sharp intelligence. For example, the key to her photograph of a dog turd on a Paris pavement lies in the title – “Bourgeois Paris” in which is embedded a distillation of hypocrisy. The Paris bourgeoisie are rich and ‘upper class,’ educated and privileged, yet they are happy to leave filth wherever they and their pooches roam – truly beautiful. Adler is fired by a passion to question society and lead society to question itself and I was captured by this energy from the first time I met her.

One critic writing on her blog said:

“To really understand Monika K. Adler’s art you have to put yourself above the social borders and political thoughts you know as everyday rhetoric, you have to open your mind and see the entire world in a single shot because behind every image is a very deep philosophy with its own arrogance, irony, romanticism, sadness, rebellion for freedom and change.”

Or at least that’s what I saw when I visited the gallery the first time and first laid eyes upon her ‘Chef-d’Oeuvre’ Mademoiselle Guillotine in life size. It quite simply stole my breath away. Looking beyond the mirror, the following were my thoughts on the work giving some explanation as to why later, I was willing to run all over Paris on her behalf:

The Unspoken Word

I was struck by the poignancy of Mademoiselle Guillotine. It appeared to me, saturated with meaning. Having just come from London and a political climate of War and pro-human rights, this picture spoke volumes. In the UK recently, there had been an increasing awareness of the subordination of women in many countries and the many forms it takes; from the killing of baby girls in China to female castration in Africa and the Taliban’s regime of the degradation of women. Monika’s pictures seemed to give a voice to these women. Many classical artists throughout history portray the naked female body with a submissive quality; laid back poses, paintings of women naked with their babies and women relaxing in the nude or portraits to be hung over a mantelpiece. The talent in Monika’s pictures lies in her ability to retain the femininity of the female and at the same time, show the innate power that lies within her.

In this image, the power of the naked female body - far from subordinate - is a strong dichotomy. She is at once naked and masked creating a ferocious irony. The Western and Oriental symbols of femininity clash with such intensity that on first view, one might find oneself gasping for a breath. These symbols - the burkha and stiletto shoes - are superceded by her naked sex and the defiant, provocative stance. Her legs are not bound to keep them open, she chooses to keep them spread. This along with the expression in the eyes and the stiletto shoes (a fetishised object in Western culture) seem to fight against the masking of her face and the hands tied behind her back. Her ‘gaze’ challenges the voyeur to look her in the eye rather than at her nakedness and into her soul and ‘truth’. Perhaps this is something that many find difficult because it makes her less of an object. The eyes are the windows to the soul. It is how we read a person. Her gaze taunts one to look at her as a person at the same time as the authoritarian, totalitarian male – war, rape and the brutalisation of humanity, inferred by the symbolism in the image. The title, Mademoiselle, Guillotine appropriates her as the one capable of violence.

This image gives a voice to those women who cannot speak for themselves. It speaks against those forces that cover the female body and put it under wraps for exactly the reason displayed in this picture; the female body has a dangerous power. In fact, throughout history, women have been referred to as objects of danger. The Bible and Church Fathers are littered with quotes which portray women as; organs of the devil; the hissing of the serpent; the most dangerous of wild beasts; a scorpion; an ass; a dragon; a daughter of hell; a sentinel of falsehood; a sentinel of hell; the enemy of the peace. It can reduce some men to a helpless state, physically and emotionally inferior in that moment to the woman hence ‘feminine’ denotes in this picture, the very opposite of the dictionary definition.

The rhetoric in this image is a search for truth as it battles the stereotypes of femininity – assuming it is a weakness. It speaks out against the binds that society places on women; the roles it expects her to play. Religious and cultural dialectics are expressed in the stark ironies of the Burkha style mask in contrast with the naked genitalia and the world wide symbol of aid – The Red Cross - creates a context of War - in this picture, is not helping the woman from her binds. This could also be interpreted as another one of society’s binding, repressive symbols like that of the Burkha as women have often taken up the role of carer or nurse.

The photograph also speaks against censorship. Even in the Western world, the BBC will allow film of men with flaccid penises but a woman’s sex cannot be shown. It may be a Western woman’s ‘choice’ to wear stilettos but nevertheless, it conforms to the male’s view of what constitutes sexuality - something that is celebrated in the Western world. In the East, women conform whether by choice or otherwise, to the male-dominated culture and wear burkha. Covering up what is deemed to be ‘dangerous’ there: a woman’s face and body. Monika might fear for her life in Saudi-Arabia or Iran for creating such a work.

It would be easy to write this image off as an insult to women the world over but look beyond the veil. Here, polarised cultures are transcended to bring together both East and West. It is a comment on Paris where the Muslim ‘emigrant’ of countries such as Algeria and Morrocco meets the Western female in a sepia tone, nostalgic of a past long gone in the narrative of this photograph. Long live matriarchy.

From that moment, this image, moved me deeply enough that I pledged my allegiance to Monika K. Adler and her one-woman revolution. I was closely able to identify with its sentiment - the feeling that women have been abused, bound, gagged, covered up and forced to conform to a patriarchal and capitalist world view. My mother herself was sexually abused giving rise to her alcoholism, which systematically destroyed her and any relationship I had with her. My father believed that education for girls is a luxury, not obligatory and would rather have seen me married off at the age of 16. He refused to pay for me to go to college and after several horrendous secretarial type jobs, I decided the only way out was to study in the evenings. However, my fight for independence continues even now, years after leaving Paris because how can creative thought flourish with the incessant noise of corporate clatter?

Interestingly, Robbie was entirely repelled by Monika. Perhaps unsurprising considering that he was a man. It had taken me a couple of weeks to break through his icy exterior, but he thought her predatory, egotistical and vacuous and saw nothing but darkness in her work. I saw another side. Predatory or not, I felt that some of her work had something powerful to say. I did wonder, looking at the photo she’d taken of the dog turd, whether I might be able to pass off that ‘pain-au-chocolat’ I’d forgotten about in my suitcase as art. No, I thought to myself. I had better hang onto it. Never know when you might need a few extra calories, even if they were a bit white with age and fungus.

Who is Petite Nicole? by Nicola Carley. Chapter Four : The Mad Polish ( about Monika K. Adler)

2012-01-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.whoispetitenicole.com/p/chapter-four-mad-polish.html

Monika K. Adler - Showreel 2011

2012-01-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of love by Monika K. Adler & Marta Potulska

2012-01-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of Love – Makabryczna baśń o Wyzwoleniu

Z prochu powstałaś i w proch się obrócisz … zanim jednak to nastąpi … zagrasz w wielu kiepskich rolach narzuconych Ci przez religię, społeczeństwo, edukację i wychowanie. Zagrasz też w miłość i po przez nią i w niej z czeźniesz lub się wyzwolisz.

Film Moniki K. Adler i Marty Potulskiej „Chernobyl of Love aka Drink Blood of your Sin” wyzwala jego bohaterkę z traum przeszłości osobistej i społecznej. W serii na przemian makabrycznych i metaforycznych obrazów kobieta pozbywa się ulepionej z doświadczeń innych „ siebie samej”. Najpierw musi zabić i zjeść „mózg” patriarchatu, organ kontroli i unicestwienia, by odejść i doświadczyć dobrodziejstw wolnej woli. Krew słodsza jest niż miód, cierpienie doprowadza do oświecenia, oświecenie do wolności. Kanibalizm seksualny niczym magiczne odczynienie przeszłości zwane zemstą krzyczy spełnieniem i wyzwoleniem totalnym.

Chernobyl of Love zrealizowany w czerwonym lesie niedaleko nieczynnego już reaktora atomowego na Ukrainie to makabryczna baśń o zdobywaniu siły, siły narodzonej z cierpienia, ale i z przemocy. Agresja Marsa i nieprzenikliwość kobiety drapieżnika dają jej przepustkę do nowego życia, tylko od niej zależy jak je wykorzysta, którą drogę wybierze i jak odnajdzie się w samoświeceniu, a raczej w samoświadomości.

Monika K. Adler

13th Jan. 2012

Monika K. Adler

2012-01-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2012 by Monika K. Adler model LRLR

2011-12-31T06:02:00.000-08:00

Alice doesn't live here anymore by Monika K. Adler

2011-12-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Monika K. Adler!

2011-12-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of Love - Release date: 21 12 2011

2011-12-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Title: Chernobyl of Love aka DRINK BLOOD of YOUR SIN
Producer: Monika K. Adler/Marta Potulska
Director: Monika K. Adler
Writer: Monika K. Adler
Release year: 21 December 2011

Genre: Thriller Art Experimental
Tagline: Those whose souls were murdered will murder/Allice Miller
Runtime: 15 min
Country: Poland
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound mix: Dolby
Director of Photography: Marta Potulska
Edit: Monika K. Adler

Cast:

Monika K. Adler

Sasha

Ivan

Filmed on location in Red Forest/Chernobyl/Ukraine

Monika K. Adler by Marta Potulska

2011-12-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

Monika K. Adler - Showreel 2011

2011-12-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of Love by Monika K. Adler

2011-12-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of Love by Monika K. Adler & Marta Potulska

2011-12-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of love by Monika K. Adler & Marta Potulska

2011-12-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

CHERNOBYL OF LOVE aka Drink Blood of Your Sin

a film by Monika K. Adler

director of photography/stills Marta Potulska

Cast: Monika K. Adler * Sasha* Ivan* PM

Chernobyl of love by Monika K. Adler pix. by Marta Potulska

2011-11-29T01:13:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of love by Monika K. Adler pix. by Marta Potulska

2011-11-29T01:03:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of love by Monika K. Adler

2011-11-29T00:44:00.000-08:00

Chernobyl of Love by Monika K. Adler

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO MONIKA K. ADLER

RED FOREST/UKRAINE 2011

Monika K. Adler Artist Statement

2011-11-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

Artist’s Statement:

“Why the world doesn't need an Annie Warhol or a Francine Bacon”? Because They Have Monika K. Adler.

Film, photography, new media art like faith, hope and love are tattooed on my fighting spirit. I love to create. I love to shamelessly expose my inner stigmas and enigmas. I love to explore my basic instincts, archetypal symbolism and wildness at heart. I want people see the World through my eyes wide shut.

I am the tool of God and Satan. In the name of Andy Warhol, David Lynch and Francis Bacon. Amen.

Tao by Monika K. Adler

2011-10-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

LRLR & Douglas Park at HAMPSTEAD HEATH 2011 by Monika K. Adler

2011-08-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sacred Flesh by Monika K. Adler

2011-08-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Cykl - Sacred Flesh - niektórych przeraża. Część osób reaguje nań wręcz lękowo, ale dla innych jest jak olśniewający Księżyc w pełni, wpływający na mroczne bezkresne niebo. Jeszcze nie widziałem osoby reagującej obojętnie.

Czerwony kolor, specjalnie tu zastosowany, kojarzy się od początku z krwią.

Po tysiącleciach bezmyślnego zabijania, morderstw i innych barbarzyńskich aktów przemocy, znieczuleni oświeceniowym stylem pseudo-myślenia, przestaliśmy odbierać świat w kategoriach cudu i zblazowani rozparliśmy się w rozlazłych fotelach przed telewizorami.

Przeludniony świat homo sapiens dumny ze swojej władzy nad przyrodą i zachwycony nowym systemem dobrowolnego niewolnictwa czyli chodzeniem do pracy, zastąpił szacunek dla cudu życia - magią odbierania życia jako znacznie ważniejszą dla kontynuacji narodów i społeczeństw.

Dziś krew przeraża, krew to wściekłość, to Mars w wydaniu seryjnego mordercy, krew to destrukcja i cierpienie. Już dawno zapomnieliśmy o magii krwi – czarodziejskim i życiodajnym przepływie, który jak oddech powoduje nasze istnienie.

O tym przypomina się w szpitalu, a potem to gdzieś znika ze świadomości, to co jest w nas. Spróbujmy znaleźć bardziej pierwotną i bardziej prawdziwą perspektywę a odnajdziemy prostą zaginioną wiedzę...

„Czyż nie wiecie, żeście świątynią Boga i że Duch Boży mieszka w was? Jeżeli ktoś zniszczy świątynię Boga, tego zniszczy Bóg. Świątynia Boga jest świętą, a wy nią jesteście” ( św. Paweł )

Monika K. Adler próbuje nam o tym przypomnieć w swoim cyklu fotografii „Sacred Flesh”. Z obrazów promieniują: miłość, ciepło i ukojenie. Kobieta żyje w każdej z tych fotografii unoszona falą gorącej krwi, czerwieni która zamienia się w złoto.

Krew to żywioł kobiety, krew może zmienić historię świata.

W fotografiach Moniki K. Adler kobieta sama jest żywiołem; erotyzm, fizjologia i duchowość pokazane są po malarsku, delikatnie - tu obiektyw zastąpił pędzel i artystka maluje swe wizje inteligentnie, ciepło i z poczuciem humoru.

Złoto, które pojawia się na końcu to światło bez którego żyć można, ale wybaczać nie można, bez którego człowiek nie daje rady borykać się z pociskami zawistnego losu.

Przypomina mi się pewien piękny wiersz znanej poetki:

Ptaku mojego serca
nie smuć się
nakarmię cię ziarnem radości
rozbłyśniesz

ptaku mojego serca
nie płacz
nakarmię cię ziarnem tkliwości
fruniesz
ptaku mojego serca
z opuszczonymi skrzydłami
nie szarp się
nakarmię cię ziarnem śmierci
zaśniesz

„Język to wirus”, więc już nie nazywajmy, aby nie zabić do końca tego co widać...po prostu oglądajcie.

Arkadiusz J. Królikowski

Warszawa, listopad 2003

Derange in London by Monika K. Adler/May 2011 LRLR on Twitpic

2011-07-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

Derange in London by Monika K. Adler/May 2011 LRLR on Twitpic

Derange in London by Monika K. Adler: LRLR Douglas Park

2011-07-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

in this pix. LRLR by Monika K. Adler

“DERANGE IN LONDON”

Exkognito Secret-Agent Mission-Impossible Right Up Landwarp

By Douglas Park*

Open-air places, built-up areas and civic-features develop interlinked chambers, corridors and stairs. Meanwhile, indoor enclosures become one vast wild garden. Hidden grottos connect via passageway tunneling circuit and mountainside ski-slope pavement floor.

Ongoing development forever stays unfinished and incomplete work-in-progress, only always with much changeover and movement around, not fixed or stuck any same ways for very long or at all, never mind about and just plain forget forevermore afterwards.

Coachwork, shipbuilding and cabinet-making personnel and expertise altogether adapt environment. Travel suitcase / treasure-chest trunk / cupboard shelving / filing system. Relocation and self-transportability enabled.

Each doll’s house kennel hosts compressed popup, pullout, spring-loaded, jack-in-the-box and cuckoo-clock interior décor, furniture and household-contents. Aquarium cage. Aviary tank. Conservatory spaceprobe.

Predatory trap, bait laden, sprung, poised, impatiently waiting, in ambush, ready to strike, when set off.

Action-stations. All systems go. Detonation Commences. Because some lost and stray toy drifts inside, expecting host playground and shelter. Instead, wrong-turning trespass stowaway freehold. Hostage well and truly taken. Prison sentence served beyond maximum limit. Contraband and storage prove both mutual culprit and product.

Every wall, flooring and rooftop surface has movable panel, screen, door and window glazing; multiple-jointed and foldable; slid and stretching, tight and long, flat and straight. Sharpened razor blade and solid chisel point hammerhead and sword edge. Deep cut incisions predate impact, before exit outwards, continuing through the other side, then further beyond.

Conjuring-trick tree-surgery saws apart patient. For real. No mere “act” or “stunt”. Automated vivisection and dismantling of flesh and blood blossom meat flower livestock.

In return, grateful inmate reshuffles entire film and stage set scenery, backdrop and showroom display.

Guest and hospitality-suite piece themselves and each other back together again. Dismembered limbs and spare-part component fixture upgrade switch about and exchange place.

1 new arrangement after the next.

Addition up and divisibility into puzzle, game, self-assembly kit and tool-set.

Combination sequence order endlessly shifts.

Elasticated and flexible articulation continues, until fossil substance gets replaced by flowing liquid.

Infinite turnovers generate perpetual-motion.

Eternal longevity outlives immortality timescale.

Douglas Park, born: 23-01-’72, United Kingdom, visual artist, writer (of literary prose and critical essays, both mostly art connected), sometime exhibition curator (and increasingly all practices and roles combined), currently U.K based and internationally active. douglasrpark@googlemail.com http://www.myspace.com/douglas_park +44
7813 271150

Joy Division WILDERNESS

2011-06-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

Derange in London by Monika K. Adler

2011-06-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Derange in London LRLR

2011-06-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Derange in London by Monika K. Adler

2011-06-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Derange in London: Douglas Park:“dream -or nightmare -maybe even trauma. charming side of magic gets replaced by or seems more ominous and possibly menacing”

2011-06-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

Derange in London LRLR

2011-06-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Derange in London with LRLR

2011-06-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Derange in London

2011-06-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

Derange in London with La Roo Racky

2011-06-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

Derange in London with La Roo Racky

2011-06-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Derange in London with La Roo Racky

2011-06-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

pic. by Monika K. Adler

Derange in London with LRLR

2011-05-30T04:28:00.000-07:00

La Roo Racky by Monika K. Adler

Comeback to the trees a film by Monika K. Adler

2011-05-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

photography Hubert Petrykowski

Monika K. Adler

2011-05-08T01:47:00.000-07:00

If you're worried about Johnny Farrell, don't be. I hate him!‏

2011-04-16T13:22:00.001-07:00

TAO - Monika K. Adler photography

2011-04-07T04:10:00.000-07:00

Monika K. Adler: Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin relatives

2011-03-23T11:33:00.001-07:00

Comeback to the trees by Monika K. Adler - TRAILER.

2011-03-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

"Martin Saar!" by Monika K.Adler

2011-02-11T03:40:00.000-08:00

Trailer of The Beauty of the Shadow by Monika K. Adler

2011-02-11T03:39:00.000-08:00

Sacred Flesh by Monika K. Adler

2011-02-11T03:37:00.001-08:00

NY ZEN by Monika K. Adler

2011-02-11T03:37:00.000-08:00

Champagne, AIDS & Strawberries by Monika K. Adler

2011-02-11T03:36:00.000-08:00

Monika K. Adler photography

2011-02-11T03:31:00.000-08:00

About Monika K. Adler

2010-11-30T04:16:00.001-08:00

"Monika K. Adler is an extraordinary artist/photographer and is blessed with an amazing 'eye'. Her work is classic and original with a touch of whimsical humor. I am impressed with the depth of her photographs in that they are dark and rich yet luminous with a kind of distant deep benevolent light. There is an homage to the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Ansel Adams, yet the technique is truly her own." Rich McKee

Paradise Lost by Monika K. Adler

2010-11-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

Located: LITHUANIA-POLAND-FRANCE
MODEL: MAGDALENA M.

"Martin Saar!" by Monika K. Adler

2010-08-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0tKfAEA_Uc

The Beauty of the Shadow's screenings!

2010-07-09T04:08:00.000-07:00

The Beauty of the Shadow :

http://www.dailymotion.pl/magickadler

Coming soon in the best art galleries and museums.

Experimental film festivals screening lists ( Winter/Spring 2011) available soon !

Photo - Diary by Monika K. Adler

2010-05-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Photo diary of Monika K. Adler:

http://www.monika-k-adler.tumblr.com/

Trailer of The Beauty of the Shadow onYT

2010-05-05T05:45:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/magickadler#p/a/u/0/CaRUNF9UAkY

Monika K. Adler Portraiture

2010-05-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/MONIKA-K-ADLER-R-Entertainment/208376193870?ref=ts

Monika K. Adler Ent. presents short experimental "Prayer"

2010-04-01T04:21:00.000-07:00

Title: Prayer

Producer: Monika K. Adler Entertainment
Director: Monika K. Adler
Writer: Monika K. Adler
Release year: 2010
Genre: Experimental
Tagline: Hypocrisy C'est Moi
Runtime: 2 min
Country: Poland - USA
Language: English
Color: Black and white
Sound mix: Dolby

Music & Performing: Barbara Sierant

Cast: Barbara Sierant

PLOT: This is a very short story about

the happy hypocrite.

Trailer of the film "The Beauty of the Shadow"

2010-02-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

Trailer of the film "The Beauty of the Shadow"

Title: The Beauty of the Shadow
Producer: Monika K. Adler Entertainment
Director: Monika K. Adler
Writer: Monika K. Adler
Release year: 2010
Genre: Thriller Experimental Art Drama
Tagline: Don’t fuck with losers
Runtime: 13 min
Country: Poland - USA
Language: English
Color: Black and white
Sound mix: Dolby
Music: Magnus Aronson
Edited by: Krzysztof Lewandowski

Cast:
Monika K. Adler as Monika
Olivier James as B.
Barbara Sierant as Religious Woman
Natalia Piotrowicz as Sister Bernadette & Father Antonio
Sofia-Karla Axelsson as Monika's Voice

Rated R for some scenes of bizarre sexuality,
pornographic content and for some language

The first production of Monika K. Adler Ent. "The Beauty of the Shadow"

2010-01-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

We are proud to present our first production. This is short story of tragic love between a priest and young man who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. Scandalous sex and violence drama describes the darkest desires and instincts.

Title: The Beauty of the Shadow

Producer: Monika K. Adler Entertainment
Director: Monika K. Adler
Writer: Monika K. Adler
Release year: 2010
Genre: Thriller Experimental Art Drama
Tagline: Don’t fuck with losers
Runtime: 13 min
Country: Poland - USA
Language: English
Color: Black and white
Sound mix: Dolby
Music: Magnus Aronson
Edited by: Krzysztof Lewandowski

Monika K. Adler as Monika

Olivier James as B.
Barbara Sierant as Religious Woman
Natalia Piotrowicz as Sister Bernadette & Father Antonio
Sofia-Karla Axelsson as Monika's Voice

Rated R for some scenes of bizarre sexuality,
pornographic content and for some language.

One Woman - One Revolution - Monika K. Adler Ent. January 5, 2010.

2010-01-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

The Beauty of The Shadow - New Cast

2009-12-31T04:16:00.000-08:00

   Sister Bernadette  - Natalia Piotrowicz - ABSOLUTE FACE

   Pix. by Monika K. Adler

NEW YORK ZEN:

2009-10-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

EXPECT UNEXPECTED

See more at:

http://www.monika-k-adler.com/ from Jan. 5

Monika K. Adler updated!

2009-08-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

MONIKA K. ADLER

Monika K. Adler is a photography artist, filmmaker, actress and writer, founder of international company Monika K. Adler Entertainment specializing in contemporary art photography & film. Adler graduated from the School of Fine Arts ( Art & Design ) and the European Academy of Photography in Warsaw/Poland : Creation & Expressionism. Her works has been exposed in exhibitions around the world and published in prestigious trade magazines. She works & lives between Europe and USA.

PROFILE:

Photography artist

Filmmaker

Actress

Writer

Founder of international company Monika K. Adler Entertainment specializing in photography & film (since 5 Jan. 2010)

EXPERIENCE:

PHOTOGRAPHY ARIST:

PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES:

2011 - Chernobyl of LOVE!
2011/2009 – Derange in London
2011/2009 - TAO
2010 - Paradise Lost
2010 - Martin Saar!
2010 - Champagne, Aids and Strawberries!
2010 - Exit
2009 - NY ZEN
2009 - Derange in London aka I Don't Care If U Disrespect Me (Just So You Love Me)
2009 - Tomorrow never dies.
2009 - You're my cocaine
2009 - The Beauty of the Shadow
2009/2002 - Portraits by Monika K. Adler
2009/2006 – Travel no End
2009/2006 – Children and other rubbish
2006 – Thank God I am a VIP
2006 – The Death of the Warrior
2005 – Not yet a Pope
2005 – I love New York.
2005 – Last Supper
2005 – What’s Wrong ?
2005 – Postcards from Paris
2004 – Salut de Paris
2004 – Expire
2004 – Mademoiselle Guillotine
2003 – Theresa is waiting
2003 – Nothingness
2003 – More cries then whispers
2003 – Sacred Flesh
2003 – Nocturne
2002 – The Polaroid Perfect Collection

SHORT FILMS:

WRITER.
DIRECTOR.
LEAD ACTRESS.
ART DIRECTOR.
PRODUCER.

2011 – Drink Blood of your sin– script/dir. Monika K. Adler
2011 - Comeback to the tress – script/dir. Monika K. Adler
2011 - Amnesia

2011 - The Beauty of the Shadow – script/dir. Monika K. Adler

2010 – I know – script/dir. Monika K. Adler/Arthur Schmidt

FEATURE FILMS:

WRITER.
DIRECTOR.
LEAD ACTRESS.
PRODUCER.

2012 – THE CANCER aka From Chernobyl with Love
script/dir. Monika K. Adler

FILM PRODUCTION:

2012 – THE CANCER aka From Chernobyl with Love:
feature film: Monika K. Adler Ent.

2011 – DRINK BLOOD OF YOUR SIN: short film: MONIKA K. ADLER ENT.

2011 - COME BACK TO THE TREES: short film: MONIKA K. ADLER ENT.
2011 - AMNESIA : short film: MONIKA K. ADLER ENT.

2011 - THE BEAUTY OF THE SHADOW: short film - MONIKA K. ADLER ENT.

2010 – I KNOW: music video: MONIKA K. ADLER ENTERTAINMENT

                       ACTING:

2012 - The Cancer - feature film - lead as Elena: dir. by Monika K. Adler
2011 - Drink Blood of Your Sin - short/ lead as Irene Adler:
dir by Monika K. Adler
2011 - Comeback to the trees - short/lead as She-Wolf -
dir by Monika K. Adler
2011 - The Beauty of the Shadow -short/ lead as Monika -
dir by Monika K. Adler
2010 - I know - music video/lead as Rita/
dir by Arthur Schmidt

WRITING:

                      2011 - THE CANCER (screenplay of feature flim)
2011 - Drink Blood of your Sin ( short film screenplay)
                      2011 - Comeback to the trees! (short film screenplay)
                      2011 - Bloodsucker (novel)
                      2010 - Amnesia (short film screenplay)
                      2008 - The Beauty of the Shadow (feature/short film screenplay Pol. Eng. )
                      2008 - Letter to Father -
Biblioteka Gazety Wyborczej, wybór opracowanie i wstęp

                                  Jerzy Wójcik i Grzegorz Piechota.
                      1998 - Late Fall (short film screenplay)
                      1998 - Two Loves (short film screenplay with Kamil Polak)

                     FASHION:

                     2005 - JOHN GALLIANO - HAUTE COUTURE - BACKSTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY.

MAGAZINES:

IN MY BED MAGAZINE - TORONTO/CA. Issues 2008: 2^nd, 3^rd ,4^th Issues 2011: 10th

AREA ZINC MAGAZINE – MADRID/SPAIN. Issues 2008 : “I”, “Idyllic”, “Fetish”

MAP Magazine Madrid - Photo of the day

POZYTYW – POLAND – 11. 2002, 6/7 2003 text & photography

                   COLLABORATION with galleries:

                   SAATCHI GALLERY - LONDON/UK
                   ESPACIO KUBIKO - MADRID/SPAIN
                   HOMELESS GALLERY - INTERNATIONALLY
                   PASSION OF ART CULTURAL SOCIETY/CHICAGO/USA

PRESS:

2011 - In my bed Magazine: Issues 10/2011 - Collage a Trois

2011 - Derange in London: Exkognito Secret-Agent Mission-Impossible Right Up
Landwarp - by Douglas Park essay (about/inspired by Derange in London by
Monika K. Adler)

                 2011 - Who is Petite Nicole? a novel by Nicola Carley
                 2011-2009 - Passion of Art Cultural Society/Chicago: online presentations of
Derange in London, Paradise Lost, New York Zen, Tomorrow never dies,
Champagne, AIDS & Strawberries and Martin Saar! photography series!
                 2010-2005-Virtual Memorial for the victims of the terror – London” - WorldWide
                 2009/11 – The dtourspaper – “Monika K. Adler”
                 2009/08/09 The Saatchi Gallery Online – Photographer of the Day
                 2009/07 – The Passion of Art Cultural Society Magazine –
“Inside Monika K. Adler’s World”
                 2009/01 - Determination Futile? from the novel
“Who is Petite Nicole” by Nicola Carley
                 2009/01 - A brush at the Paris Ritz – from the novel
“Who is Petite Nicole” by Nicola Carley
                 2008/12 - A Polish Encounter – from the novel
“Who is Petite Nicole” by Nicola Carley
                 2008/12 - In my Bed Magazine 4th Issue/ Toronto/Canada:
Monika K. Adler/One Night Stands
                 2008/09 - In my Bed Magazine 3rd Issue/ Toronto/Canada:
Monika K. Adler- Sexual Myths
                 2008/06 - In my Bed Magazine 2nd Issue/ Toronto/Canada:
Monika K. Adler - Foreplay
                 2008 – Area Zinc Online Art Magazine/Madrid: Fetish -Issue
                 2008 - Area Zinc Online Art Magazine/Madrid: Idyllic - Issue
                 2008 – Area Zinc Online Art Magazine/Madrid: I - Issue
                 2008/01 - Ada Cartianu’s essay: “Monika K. Adler – Art and the Vision 2008”
                 2008/01 - MAP Magazine Madrid - Photo of the day
                 2007/05/25 - Gazeta Wyborcza: 5th Anniversary of Homeless Gallery
by Agnieszka Kowalska
                 2005/08/29 - Gazeta Wyborcza: Bezdomni jadą do Nowego Yorku
by Agnieszka Kowalska
                 2005/08/29 - Mark Birdsong’s essay: Photography as a weapon of Resistance
                 2005 – Nicola Carley’s essay: Democracy
                 2005 - Nicola Carley’s essay: Unspoken word
                 2005/01 - Pozytyw - Photography Events by K. Miękus
                 2004/08 - Agnieszka Kucharska’s essay: “Adler Cyclist”
                 2003/11 - Arkadiusz Krolikowski’s essay “Sacred Flesh”
                 2003/11 - Magdalena Czapska’s essay: “Monika K. Adler”
                 2003/06-07 - Pozytyw – “Nocturne”
                 2002/11 - Pozytyw : “Materialization of imagination”
                 2002/06 - Pozytyw :Homeless Gallery

LANGUAGES:

POLISH – MOTHER LANGUAGE

ENGLISH – FLUENT

RUSSIAN – CONVERSATIONAL

FRENCH, SPANISH - BASIC

Monika K. Adler - Official Website Available from January 2010!

2009-06-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Monika K. Adler - Official Website available from January 5 2010 : http://www.monika-k-adler.com/

Photo of Monika K. Adler by Raul Jones

The Beauty of the Shadow! Poster!

2009-06-09T00:23:00.001-07:00

In this photo: Monika K. Adler pix.
by Marta Kucharska

Determination futile ? by Nicola Carley ( part about Monika K. Adler )

2009-03-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Paris 2005

Nicola Carley: http://www.petitenicole.blogspot.com/

Determination Futile ? (part about Monika K. Adler)

,, My hopes of escape were resting on the fact that somehow Monika and I might find a rich Russian to purchase one of her pieces of art or her ‘children’, as she referred to them. I would be able to set myself up on the commission; and Monika, well, the possibilities were endless. If Hirst could get away with commanding millions for a pickled shark and unmade beds win art prizes, I saw no reason why a work of art that does actually have something to say, be bought for serious money. It is of course unfortunate, that art become a consumer product however, until such time as living is free, this state of affairs is inevitable whether we are talking about a painting or a poem.I felt perhaps we had a chance. Monika had opened her exhibition without the traditional vernissage – an opening show where press and potential buyers and genunine art critics would be invited to see the work and generally, drink wine and nibbles. It would be tough to organise without any funding or contacts but we had the exhibition space and with some scouting around, there was a possibility we might pull it off. I resolved to give it a go.“Perhaps we could make it a performance.” Said Monika as we trod the pavement of a sidestreet, which branched off the Champs Elysee. “We’ll get some live models to ‘act’ Mademoiselle Guillotine, play some powerful music, project video on the walls.”“I think it’s a great idea but I think our best starting bet is going to be to network to start with,” I said.“Vodka 380 euros, 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal 700 euros,” I read aloud from the menu in its gold and glass case.“It sounds like this must be the place.” I said, turning to Monika, as we looked up at the sign over the darkened doorway on which was inscribed, Raspoutin.“Excellent, lets have a look inside,” she said heading for the door.“Attendez” came a voice from within. I looked closer and realised that there was a doorman buried deep in his green and gold livery, peeking at us from under his top hat. “Are you members of the club?” he asked in French.“I’m sorry but no.” I replied. “It is a members only club?”“Yes so unfortunately, even though you are both very beautiful, I’m afraid that I can’t allow you past. I’m very sorry.”Crestfallen, having felt that we had come so close to meeting our target, Monika and I turned on our heels and headed for the nearest bar that we actually would be allowed into. “Mesdames!” came a shout from behind us. Turning, we looked to see a short, balding fat man running attempting to run towards us, his tie tickling his chubby cheek with the force of the wind and spittle caught in the corner of his moustache.“Excusez-Moi! Est-ce que vous-etes prostituees?” He inquired.“No we fucking well aren’t! Get lost!” I yelled back at him. It was his turn to look crestfallen. “Unbelieveable.” I said looking at Monika, then down at my clothes to double check that I hadn’t accidentally walked out of the hostel in anything which could be construed as being whore-like dress. Nope. Definitely not. It was just the sordid bloody French again.The following morning, on arriving at the ‘gallery,’ we discovered another setback. A Pavarotti look-a-like was busy unloading a lorry full of clothing onto rails, which ran the entire circumference of the room. He was eccentrically dressed in a large, baggy pair of pink and black chequered trousers. Dresses dangled from the open stairway, hats adorned the centre table and Monsieur Pavarotti lorded over his assistant who could just be made out under the layers of cellophane covered bundles of clothes he carried. “Hi,” I said to him, slightly flabbergasted. “I’m Nicola, a friend of Monika here who was exhibiting her art here yesterday.”“Hello” he said, barely glancing up. “I’m a friend of Lucien. I am a fashion designer and I am selling some of my clothes from here for the next few weeks. I have a lot to do so, excuse me.”“Where are my prints?” asked Monika.“Sorry? Prints? What are you talking about?” he responded.“There were some large prints of photographs set around the room. Do you know where they are?”“Ah, those strange pictures? They are over there.” He said, pointing in the direction of the stairs. Hurriedly, Monika and I collected the pictures and walked out of the gallery. “Well, if his dress sense is anything to go by, it’s going to take him a while to shift that lot.” I said.“Pah.” Said Monika. “He is a joke. Look at his hair. It hasn’t been washed in weeks and his trousers, I will not think about them. It is too… disturbing.”“Well. Now we’re truly buggered.” I said, as we stood looking up the street at the looming silhouette of the Louvre. ,,

Monika K. Adler/Nicola Carley/Paris Expo. 2005

2009-01-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 2, 2009

A brush at the Paris Ritz

by Nicola Carley

“He is obsessed with his penis! All men are obsessed with their penises. It is an unfortunate trait. But it is small. I am sure of it,” said Monika as we were ejecting ourselves from the taxi on Concorde, just around the corner from The Ritz. She was talking about her Paris patron – the one who had lent her the exhibition space.

We had thirty euros each in our pockets (one cocktail = €20). We stood and looked at the imposing grandeur of the building with its top hatted and tailed voituriers standing outside and took deep breaths. We were on a networking mission. Looking for prospective art-buyers and we had to start somewhere.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked me, slightly nervously.

“It’s ok.” I said, “People do this all the time and they’re all just human like us. Besides, this was your idea. If we want to bump into the rich, we are going to have at least be within a few metres of them!”

“Except they usually have more money in their pockets and a posh accent,” Monika added.

“Ok, but for tonight, we are two mysterious foreign girls out discovering the high life of Paris. Besides, it was in my Time Out guide to Paris so it can’t be that taboo to come here.”

We entered an even more imposing foyer but felt a little more at ease when the two French meeters and greeters stood smiling at us and directed us to the Hemingway Bar. We walked down a seemingly infinite corridor, flanked on either side by glass fronted, mirrored cabinets, all brightly lit and ornate looking filled with odd, kitsch trinkets like plastic dolls and cheap jewellery.

On the Hemingway Bar, The Time Out Guide to Paris read, ‘Pulling in its fair share of characters, honeymooners and expense account nerds, it’s a great place to people-watch.’ What the guide didn’t tell you was that it would be filled with middle-aged thirty-year-olds; brandishing walking sticks; sporting the latest lines in country clothing; with the obligatory stiff upper lip wrapped around the Cuban cigar stuffed in the mouth.

We found it a tad overwhelming when the waiter, looking rather dashing in his white suit jacket, shirt and black trousers demanded, what would you like to drink ladies? When I requested, ‘la carte’, he answered, oh, there’s no need and continued by reeling off a list of the top 10 favourite cocktails, what was in them, how they were made and gave details right down to the temperature at which the vodka in the vodka martini had been stored at. We were warned that the berry vodka martini was nasty and we were not disappointed when the cocktails appeared with a garnish that probably cost more than the alcohol and it bit back on drinking, with as much pain as it took for us to admit that we were each going to spend 20 euros on one drink.

Of course we had no reason to fear the bill. Being two attractive girls alone in a bar, it isn’t too difficult to bump into someone tripping over themselves to talk to you and buy you a drink. Unfortunately, we ended up talking to a boring Spaniard and his friend who worked for the Hilton and related stories demonstrating his passion for customer service in the hotel industry. According to the Time Out guide, we had bumped into a couple of the ‘expense account nerds’. When they picked up the bill (without asking either of us if they could), I felt that we had well earned the 40 euros between us and the offer of going to a salsa bar in the Champs-Elysee with them was fairly irresistible to two poor foreigners staying in a youth hostel for 10 euros a night and as there didn’t appear to be any better prospects, it seemed too good to refuse.

“Don’t worry. This was a trial run,” I said.

“Yes,” said Monika. “Next time we’re after the Russians. They have plenty of cash to throw around and I know people who can tell me where to find them.”

On the way out of the Ritz we stopped for a chat with Colin the English of the English bar manager who lived up to the quote in the Time Out guide:

“… the old-school charm of Colin the barman make[s] the bar a cocoon from the horrors of the outside world.” However it didn’t tell you the Colin the charming barman is also a pot-smoker.”

Monika K. Adler/ Nicola CarleyParis Show 2005

2009-01-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A Polish Encounter

by Nicola Carley

By the time the last week of February dawned, I had made friends with Jerome - another Canadian guy who had been staying in the Auberge and who, like me, had outstayed his welcome. He introduced me to the hostel just around the corner, which was great as it meant I only had a short distance to drag my possessions and they even had a lift! It felt as though I was beginning a new era as myself and my volunteers moved my god knows how many kilos worth of bags and bits. This excitement was soon dampened a few days later when I was told that the only bed available that night was a mattress on the floor in a room which already had one resident – or sharing the double bed with them.

The next morning I happened to be passing Starbucks on the start of another day scouring for jobs when, through the glass I noticed a girl I thought I recognised sitting in the window. Looking warm with a long heavy coat, dark, Eastern European looks with the almost compulsory highlights they often seem to have in their hair, which shadowed half of her face and her wide deep eyes. She sat inside, working on an Apple Mac, as I stood freezing on the outside and I realised the reason I recognised her is because she too had been staying in the Auberge. I had never really noticed her before, being the quiet observer of the social experiments around her, choosing not to participate.

I pushed the door open, walked over and introduced myself.

“Hi, I’m Nicola. I was staying in the same hostel as you the other day but I never had an opportunity to speak to you really.

“Oh, yes. Of course I remember. You are the English girl in the hat.”

Yeah. I guess that’s me. I thought it needed a rest today.

“My name’s Nicola.”

“Hi, I’m Monika Adler. I’m from Poland.”

“So, what are you doing in Paris?”

“To be honest? I guess there are many reasons really, but more than anything, it’s that someone opened the door, just a crack, onto potentially, a whole new life. It opened to show me something with a beautiful exterior but not enough for me to be able to scratch beneath it so, here I am. Scratching!”

I wondered if I could also use that as an excuse to explain the awful state of my nails after living in a hostel for almost two months.

“You?”

“I’m an artist and I have an exhibition here in Paris, just off the Rue de Rivoli, close to the Louvre.” She said, handing me a flyer. “I know some of the other artists working here in Paris and my friend agreed to loan me his exhibition space for a few weeks. Their art isn’t much good, they are all too obsessed with their own penises to see much beyond that but the relationship works for me at the moment.” She said, with a look of disdain.

“You should come along and take a look at my work. I’m there everyday from 1pm to around 7pm.”

“Cool. I will do. I have to do some job-hunting in the morning but I could pop by in the afternoon.”

Her blog today (December 2008) reads:

OFFICIAL BLOG OF MONIKA K. ADLER - AN INTERNATIONAL ART ICON

Monika K. Adler was born on January 5th. She is an artist, entrepreneur, self-promoter, a charismatic & ultra fashionable icon of varied interest and diverse subject of art. Adler graduated from the School of Fine Arts ( Art & Design ) and the European Academy of Photography in Warsaw/Poland : Creation & Expressionism. Her works have been exposed in exhibitions around the world and published in prestigious trade magazines. She lives & works between Paris and NYC.

Like many artists, she sees herself as a work of art or as she calls herself – an international art icon. A glance at her own blog posts and the self-photography there and it would be easy to write her off with an over-inflated ego, something that becomes obvious when photographs of dog turds are suggested as being ‘art’ paying homage to DuPont's 'throne'. However, beyond this egotism lies a sharp intelligence displayed in some of her pieces with a real passion to question society and lead society to question itself.

One critic writing on her blog said:

“To really understand Monika K. Adler’s art you have to put yourself above the social borders and political thoughts you know as everyday rhetoric, you have to open your mind and see the entire world in a single shot because behind every image is a very deep philosophy with its own arrogance, irony, romanticism, sadness, rebellion for freedom and change.”

Or at least that’s what I saw when I visited the gallery the next morning and first laid eyes upon her ‘Chef-de-oeuvre’ Mademoiselle Guillotine in life size.

Looking beyond the mirror, the following are my thoughts on the work however informed/mis-informed they may be…

The Unspoken Word

Monika K. Adler was born in Poland. She graduated from the School of Fine Arts and the European Academy of Photography in Warsaw, Poland. Her works have been shown in scores of exhibitions in Eastern Europe and published in trade magazines but Monika wanted to reach Western Europe and it seems in that world, to make it as an artist, you must be willing to not only sell your pictures but also your soul.

I was struck however, by the poignancy in this picture of ‘Mademoiselle Guillotine’ - saturated with signification. Having just come from London and a political climate of War and pro-human rights, this picture spoke volumes. In the UK recently, there seems to have been an increasing awareness of the subordination of women in many countries and the many forms it takes; from the killing of baby girls in China to female castration in Africa and the Taliban’s regime of the degradation of women. Monika’s pictures seem to give a voice to these women.

Many artists portray the naked female body with a submissive quality; laid back poses, paintings of women naked with their babies and women relaxing in the nude or portraits to be hung over a mantelpiece. The talent in Monika’s pictures lies in her ability to retain the femininity of the female and at the same time, show the innate power that lies within it. In this image, the power of the naked female body - far from subordinate - is a strong dichotomy in the masked girl. The Western and Eastern symbols of femininity fight with such intensity that on first view, a sharp intake of breath may be required.

These symbols however, the burkha and stiletto shoes are superceded by her naked sex; the defiant, provocative stance - her legs are not bound to keep them open - along with the expression in the eyes and the stiletto shoes fights against the masking of the face and the hands tied behind the back. Her ‘gaze’ taunts the voyeur to look her in the eye, to look away from her nakedness and into her soul. To look at her and regard the authoritarian, totalitarian male – war, rape and the brutalisation of a people, inferred by the symbols in the piece.

This image gives a voice to those women who cannot speak for themselves. It speaks against those forces that cover the female body and put it under wraps for exactly the reason displayed in this picture; the female body has a dangerous power. It can reduce some men to a helpless state, physically and emotionally inferior in that moment to the woman hence ‘feminine’ denotes in this picture, the very opposite of the dictionary definition. The rhetoric is a search for truth as it battles the stereotypes of feminity.

Religious and cultural dialectics are expressed in the stark ironies of the Burkha style mask in contrast with the naked genitalia and the world wide symbol of aid – The Red Cross - creates a context of War - in this picture, is not helping the woman from her binds. The photograph speaks against censorship. Against the binds that society places on women. Even in the Western world, the BBC will allow film of men with flaccid penises but a woman’s sex cannot be shown.

It may be a Western woman’s ‘choice’ to wear stilettos but nevertheless, it is a conformity to the male’s view of what constitutes sexuality - something that is celebrated in the Western world. In the East, women conform whether by choice or otherwise, to the male-dominated culture and wear burkha. Covering up what is deemed to be ‘dangerous’ there: a woman’s face and body, Monika might fear for her life in Saudi-Arabia for creating such a work.

It would be easy to write this off as an insult to women the world over. Through the dialectics in Mademoiselle Guillotine polarised cultures are transcended to bring together both East and West. It is a comment on Paris where the muslim ‘emigrant’ of countries such as Algeria and Morrocco meets the Western female in a sepia tone, nostalgic of a past long gone in the narrative of this photograph. Long live matriarchy!

From that moment, for this image, it moved me deeply enough that I pledged my allegiance to Monika K. Adler and it is in the juxtaposition of this with the ‘ideal’ image of Paris that it becomes ever more powerful such as this entitled ‘idyllic Paris’.

Her work can be viewed at

http://www.monika-k-adler.com
http://www.adler-photography.com

Robbie was entirely repelled by her. He thought her predatory, egotistical and vacuous but I saw another side. Predatory or not, I felt that her work had something powerful to say.
Posted by It's all in the text at 7:34 AM 0 comments

See my profile at GOLDENLINE

2008-11-15T07:42:00.001-08:00

Monika K. Adler : ONLINE MAGAZINES

2008-07-27T02:04:00.000-07:00

IN MY BED MAGAZINE - TORONTO/CANADA

Theme: ,, Foreplay ,, , ,, Sexual myths ,, : http://www.inmybedmagazine.com/

ZINC - AREA MAGAZINE - MADRID/SPAIN

Themes : ,, I ,, , Idyllic ,, , ,, Fetish,, : http://www.area-zinc.com/

Monika K. Adler in essay of Mark Birdsong

2008-06-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

*
At first glance, Monika K. Adler's work recalls that of fellow eastern European photographer Jan Saudek. Solitary subjects, nostalgic sepia-tones, a focus on feminine beauty ― in cell-like settings. But where Saudek's caged birds exist in a timeless isolation, the outside world may more rudely intrude in Ms Adler's tableaux vivants.

*
At least that's the case for the photo which became known as “Mademoiselle Guillotine” at its Paris exhibition earlier this year ― the best example I have seen of her talent for finding a potent semiotic nexus.

*
The image shocks with the force of its clashing religious and cultural symbols, its dialectical dynamics of covered face, exposed genitals; naked beauty, naked vulnerability; sexual power, sexual humiliation. It alludes to the contemporary political context. The picture draws strong reactions from spectators, who suddenly find themselves voyeur/participants in a would-be war crime scene. Here we have the mainstay subject of the female nude updated to the unfortunate era of Abu Ghraib.

*
This work unites art and politics in the polemical style of John Heartfield's anti-Nazi photomontages. It is a hyperrealist mise en scene with a lexicon drawn from news media iconography. It blurs photojournalism and art photography, stripping away manipulation and ideological pretense in the process. What's left is a withering commentary, the coup de grace, delivered in the satirical title: "Democracy."

*

The irony is that where Saudek's boldest work had humanity literally gazing into its own anus in the shadow of the Iron Curtain, the other side, Adler seems to retort, is only a rape scene.

Paris, June 2005

Unspoken word by Nicola Carley

2008-05-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

Monika K. Adler was born in Poland. She graduated from the School of Fine Arts and the European Academy of Photography in Warsaw, Poland. Her works have been shown in scores of exhibitions in Eastern Europe and published in trade magazines but Monika wanted to reach Western Europe and it seems in that world, to make it as an artist, you must be willing to not only sell your pictures but also your soul.It was in a Paris café that I first bumped into Miss Monika K. Adler. She was sitting in the window of Starbucks following her daily routine of a large cup of tea before venturing down to the Galerie La Tour in Louvre-Rivoli where her pictures were on show (no easy task) .On first glimpse of her work, I was immediately blown away by the poignancy in this picture - saturated with signification. Having just come from London and a political climate of War and pro-human rights, these pictures spoke volumes. In the UK recently, there seems to have been an increasing awareness of the subordination of women in many countries and the many forms it takes; from the killing of baby girls in China to female castration in Africa and the Taliban’s regime of the degradation of women.Monika’s pictures seem to give a voice to these women.Many artists portray the naked female body with a submissive quality; laid back poses, paintings of women naked with their babies and women relaxing in the nude are all common. The talent in Monika’s pictures lies in her ability to retain the femininity of the female and at the same time, show the innate power that lies within it. Her model’s poses are far from submissive. The power of the naked female body - far from subordinate - is a strong dichotomy in the masked girl. The defiant stance and pride in the nakedness of her genitalia along with the expression in the eyes and the stiletto shoes fights against the masking of the face and the hands tied behind the back. Her ‘gaze’ taunts the voyeur to look her in the eye, to look away from her nakedness and into her soul. To look at her and regard the authoritarian, totalitarian male – war, rape and the brutalisation of the people.This image gives a voice to those women who cannot speak for themselves. It speaks against those forces that cover the female body and put it under wraps for exactly the reason displayed in this picture; the female body has a dangerous power. It can reduce men to a quivering, helpless state, physically and emotionally inferior in that moment to the woman hence ‘feminine’ denotes in this picture, the very opposite of the dictionary definition. The religious and cultural connotations are expressed in the stark ironies of the Burkhart style face mask in contrast with the naked genitalia and the world wide symbol of aid seen commonly in War situations - the Red Cross – which in this picture, is not helping the woman from her binds.It’s criminal for the world to be deprived of Monika’s talent; for the millions of women who could be motivated and empowered by these pictures to be deprived the opportunity to see them. Long live matriarchy.
Article by Nicola Carley /London