Karolina Suchanek’s practice – Cave Studios – was founded in 2017, drawing inspiration from her fascination with the Chauvet Cave in southern France, geology, and early forms of art. Her studio practice embodies an intuitive approach rooted in spirituality and feminine energies, viewing caves as symbols of transition and of connection between worlds — a passage representing both beginnings and endings.

Karolina starts by designing small pieces on the loom, taken by the intuitive and rhythmical process of weaving — connected to the rhythm of the cave paintings. Looking at the weaving structure and working on a feeling: in the dark cave, glimpses of light trapped in cloth, or creating bridges, like the Pont d’Arc natural stone arch in the Ardeche Gorge — hence the gaps left at the edges of the cloth. Karolina’s intention is for her woven pieces to resemble the interior of a cave or the surface of rocks which have been animated into cloth.

Sustainability is an important part of Karolina’s design process. The pieces are woven in Bristol using British wool. Her designs consciously reduce the number of colours to minimise dye waste, water usage, and the chemical load of the dyeing process. Unbleached raw wool is used where possible, keeping the fibre as close to its natural state as possible.

Karolina is a multidisciplinary designer/artist with a foundation rooted in fine arts. She studied at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kracow before going on to study Textile Design at Central Saint Martins in London.