Breaking the stereotype, NeSpoon is not your typical ‘street artist’. Married, and a dedicated mother, she only works in daylight hours, is active in her community and has travelled all over the world to place her art.

WI: So go on, where did it all begin…
NS: I am NeSpoon from Warsaw. I always say I was reborn in 2009. I started working with clay and at the same time found myself surrounded by lace. People always ask why lace? I wasn’t so sure, but I felt it was lace that found me. 

Do you have a formal art education?
No, but aged 10-15 I went to a school in Berlin that supported the arts. I always loved to paint with oils. After many years in a 9-5 job I gave in to my creativity and returned to art. Most people think they can’t do it, and they don’t do it. When you don’t try you will never get where you want to go. I now feel on the right side of my life.

So why did you take your art to the street?
After filling my friends and families homes with ceramics I still had so much. I started to notice that lace did not need a cup or plate. I could unravel it or use the lace as stencils. I began to understand the lace had an aesthetic code of symmetry, order and harmony that pleased me.  In one minute I saw the city as a gallery needing harmony.

Is there a message in your art?
Lots of people email me and say they feel my art is connected to Mandala traditions. I see my work makes me happy and it can make others happy too.

How do you see Warsaw’s approach to street art?
I would like to see more art and fewer advertisements on our architecture. Unlike Łódź, Warsaw does not have so much wall space for art. Warsaw needs to think carefully about its billboards and green spaces. It needs to do more to offer people and artist’s opportunity and space for expression.

Does your teenage daughter follow your artistic passion? 
My daughter has always been exposed to my art and met fellow artists. It was ceramic faces for children that I first put on the street. But she has her own dream; one day she would like to win the Nobel Prize in physics or chemistry. I always say that’s a great idea!

Where would you like to be in 5 years from now?
Oh, I have a plan. I want to make large scale lace/web installations and use lights. I want it to be on a grassy area where people can picnic and relax. My dream is for it to be in the center of Warsaw, near the Palace of Culture! But I might have to settle for Berlin first where ideas are realized at a faster tempo. Bureaucracy in this city can mean plans take a long time, you never know how long you might have… I say jump where you want!

For more NeSpoon see: www.behance.net/NeSpoon