Julia Stachowska (b. 1997), *Butterfly*, 2026

Provenance
Owned by the artist.

Julia Stachowska’s “Butterfly” is a sculpture made of translucent pink onyx, part of her abstract series titled “DNA.” The works in this series are based on a soft, sinuous line that organically unfolds in space, changing its character depending on the viewer’s perspective. The origin of these forms lies in the artist’s initials, which—as she noted—kept reappearing whenever she sketched new designs with a pencil on paper. “These shapes are directly connected to me; the abstract forms shaped in this way constitute my artistic DNA,” says Stachowska (Stachowska J., DNA, the artist’s official website). In this sense, “Butterfly” is not only an abstract composition but also a kind of personal symbol: a signature carved in stone.
The sculpture gently enters the space, curving like a living organism. From every angle, it reveals a different interplay of lines, concavities, and convexities, inviting the viewer to walk around it. Although it is made of hard stone, it gives the impression of a supple, light material—almost like a wing, a petal, or a fragment of a woman’s body frozen in motion. Its translucent structure captures the light, and the delicate pink transitions in places to shades of orange, milky white, and cool, grayish veins. The natural layers of onyx are not merely decorative here, but help shape the rhythm of the entire form, giving it depth and a sensual, very feminine softness.
Working with onyx requires exceptional precision. Although the material is softer than marble, its layered structure and varying hardness mean that any misplaced strike can shatter the block along a natural vein. As the artist writes: “The shapes I create require precision and a deep understanding of the stone. They also require imagination and the ability to anticipate. The stone constantly tests the sculptor working with it (…)” (Stachowska J., Stone—Material and Technique, the artist’s official website). Stachowska thus engages in a dialogue with the material, which offers resistance but simultaneously suggests a direction. By polishing the surface, she brings out the natural beauty of the stone’s structure, color, and inner radiance.
The piece “Butterfly” combines technical discipline with the freedom of imagination. It is a dynamic sculpture, open to light and the viewer’s movement, yet at the same time serene, harmonious, and almost contemplative. In it, Stachowska blurs the boundary between the weight of the stone and the impression of organic lightness. From the chaos of the natural block, she extracts order, rhythm, and a subtle, feminine form—an abstraction that sets our imagination in motion.