Interview with Monika K. Adler

PART OF THE INTERVIEW

1.  In Sacred Decadence, you present decadence not as an escape, but as a form of resistance. What inspired this ide

My biography is my inspiration. I learned resistance long before I learned art. Sacred Decadence emerged from that instinct—the refusal to accept the world exactly as it is presented to us. In Sacred Decadence, decadence is not an escape from reality—it is an act of defiance against it.

2.  Themes of desire, passion, and individuality frequently appear throughout your work. Why do you think these concepts remain so controversial today?

Desire, passion, and individuality are controversial because they threaten control.

Freedom awakens a longing to rebel, a willingness to embrace sudden disorder.

Society fears disorder—especially when it emerges in women. What would happen if we abandoned the absurd roles we perform every day? I can assure you: the world as we know it would no longer be enough.

3.  You write, “Decadence is not a crime; it’s a declaration.” What exactly is this declaration challenging?

It challenges every system that asks us to betray ourselves in exchange for acceptance. Decadence is not a celebration of excess; it is a refusal to live a diminished life.

4.  In your photographs, the body appears as both a physical and symbolic space. What does the body represent for you as an artist?

The body is universal. We all inhabit different lives, but the same fragile condition. Desire, beauty, suffering, and mortality all pass through the body. It is our most honest self-portrait, the first and last truth we posses

— Monika K. Adler, London, 2026.