A perfect home decor item today is more than just an ornament or just a tool to perform its function; the two must work together, and, aesthetically, almost above all, it must stand out. If these expectations are met, the sky’s the limit in terms of style and shape, made possible by the creative and distinctive minds of the creators. Malwina Konopacka is a designer, illustrator and ceramicist, who dreamed up and created the OKO ceramic family. Get to know the maker of playful pottery better! Interview!
Malwina’s ceramics are all hand-painted in a limited edition, enhancing the unique character of her already extraordinary works. Malwina got a degree in design in Warsaw and studied as an illustrator in Berlin, and her ceramics embody the perfect interplay and unfolding of her artistic directions. Not only does she shape her creations boldly, but her past as an illustrator completes the quirky-sounding objects: hand-painted clouds and dots, smiley and Mickey mouse heads can be seen on objects that represent total artistic value. Although the result is a material embodiment of playfulness and childhood freedom, it is by no means infantile.
You’re both an illustrator and a designer, but when did you decide you wanted to make pottery?
I studied industrial design at the Fine Arts Academy in Warsaw, where I attended ceramics classes. I loved them! Then I was in Berlin for a year and a half, where I studied illustration. It was a very good, very inspiring time.
For a few years after my studies, I only worked as an illustrator and graphic designer, but I missed 3D. Eventually, I returned to the OKO vase I had designed at the end of my studies. This vase became the canvas for my illustrations, so I combined my two favorite fields.
How would you describe your creative style?
Large colored ceramic objects: a mixture of product design and art. In the beginning, it was more of a mix of ceramics and illustrations, but now I’m increasingly following simpler patterns (like the NUDE collection: raw vases with glaze only on the inside). I play with repetitive shapes that I combine with each other to give birth to a whole new one. That’s why I called it the OKO family of ceramic objects. My personal favorite is TOTEMS—all the elements of the OKO ceramic family combined.
What inspires the exciting and playful design of your ceramics?
The OKO vase was the first, and the idea was to create something that matched some sort of twist and color. The OKO vase is 42 cm high with a spindle shape and concavities. Then came the TERESA vase, which was based on the same idea but twice as big.
Then the OKO pottery family started to expand with the addition of funny elements like the shapes of pretzels, donuts and balls—I really started playing with them.
I think inspiration comes from everywhere. I started talking this language with my ceramics and now I mix and play with them.
We often see patterns on your ceramics, made with great flair and taste—do you design these yourself? Does the idea of a pattern world or shape born first?
Initially, there was only one shape—the OKO vase. So the first collections had different themes, with illustrations, in this one form. Today we have: OKO vase, TERESA vase, NANA vase, IRENA vase, MIKI vase, ANIELA bowl, MiniANIELA bowl and KRYSTAL vase. I design patterns that have some effect on each form—sometimes according to highlighting a specific shape, but sometimes I do the exact opposite to achieve an absolutely different effect. The MIKI vase, for example, was made because I had a pattern in my head and I needed a surface that I could then decorate.
As such a diverse artist, what are your plans for the (near) future?
I still deal with ceramics, looking for new products: candlesticks and lamps. Plus, I continue to make totems and vases in a couple of newer shapes—which are more and more like sculptures than industrial designs. I am thinking of a new form and would like to do new collaborations to learn new techniques. I am very excited about the future!
Photos: Eloise Dufour