The Studio

Monica Curiel Studio is an interdisciplinary practice creating wall reliefs, furniture, lighting, and objects. Through observation, research, experimentation, design, making, and collaboration, the studio develops original work that explores the expressive potential of material. The practice expands across disciplines while remaining connected through a shared relationship to material.

Material Origins

The practice began with materials that were already part of everyday life. Growing up in Dallas, Curiel spent weekends working alongside her father on construction sites, where plaster, spackling paste, drywall compound, and other construction materials were simply tools of the trade. Those early experiences established a relationship to materials that continues to shape the work today. Rather than viewing these materials solely through their practical function, the studio explores their capacity to communicate beauty, history, memory, and design.

Material Practice

Observation, lived experience, curiosity, research, experimentation, design, and making shape the development of the work. Materials are approached not only for their physical qualities, but also for the histories, associations, and possibilities they carry. The studio investigates how familiar materials can move across disciplines and scales while retaining the qualities that define them.

Across Disciplines

The studio develops work through wall reliefs, furniture, lighting, and objects. Wall reliefs form the foundation of the practice. Furniture, lighting, and objects extend the practice into new forms, functions, and scales. Some works develop independently, while others evolve as collections connected through shared materials, forms, or narratives.

Looking Forward

The practice continues to evolve through new materials, processes, collaborations, and collections. While methods, scales, and disciplines expand over time, the studio remains grounded in the relationship to material that has shaped the practice from the beginning.