Monika Plioplyte

Monika Plioplyte is a multi-disciplinary artist merging printmaking, sculpture, performance, and photography. Born in Lithuania, Plioplyte grew up in Boston, MA. She holds a BFA in Printmaking from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (‘12) and an MFA in Print Media from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (‘19). Her works explore existential narratives that are intimately linked to storytelling through the physical body, with an emphasis on ancient Baltic Pagan symbolism and mythology, personal rituals, and the processes of the handmade. Monika has exhibited at venues including Hyde Park Art Center, Boundary Space, Mana Contemporary, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois Art Museum, IL; Rare Visions, Boulder, CO; IUNorthwest School of the Arts, IN; Fitchburg Art Museum, AREA Gallery, Gallery Kayafas in Boston, MA. She is a recipient of a number of awards and residencies including the Genevieve McMillan-Reba Stewart Travel Award for printmakers, Blanche E. Colman Award, Professional Development Track Grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, John W. Kurtich Foundation Travel Grant, DECASE Individual Artists Program Grant, The Center Program at Hyde Park Art Center, and Studios at MASS MoCa Residency. Plioplyte currently lives and works in Chicago, IL.

* photo by Chester Alamo-Costello