The Studio

Monica Curiel Studio is a sculptural and collectible design practice creating wall reliefs, furniture, lighting, and objects. Grounded in material exploration, the studio develops original work through observation, research, experimentation, design, making, and collaboration. 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, Monica 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 lasting relationship to materials that continues to inform 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. Materials associated with construction, repair, and labor become the foundation for sculpture and collectible design.

Material Practice

Material is the foundation of the 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 their material identity. Sculpture, furniture, lighting, and objects become different expressions of the same ongoing investigation.

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 that investigation into new forms, functions, and scales. Some works develop independently, while others evolve as collections connected through shared materials, forms, or narratives. Together they contribute to a body of work spanning contemporary art and collectible design.

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 same relationship to material that shaped its foundation: a commitment to exploring the beauty, cultural significance, and design potential of familiar materials through sculpture and collectible design.