When craftsmanship meets intuitive, colourful play, something unique is created. FIGLE, a new collection of ceramics by Agata Puławska and Ola Szczepaniak, is a project that could easily find its way onto the shelves of design enthusiasts, but above all… onto their tables. Because FIGLE is functional crockery, but with character. One that is difficult to confuse with anything else.
The name itself suggests a direction – lightness, freedom and a touch of artistic mischief. And that is exactly what these objects are. The bowls and plates grow out of the dialogue between ceramic matter and abstract compositions for which Ola Szczepaniak is known. Her colourful cut-outs, created from paper and later digitally processed, have been transferred onto ceramics, acquiring a new dynamic. On the rounded forms designed by Agata Puławska, they become even more vivid – as if they were in constant motion.
Puławska is responsible for the form – soft, friendly and refined in every detail. Her approach to design combines aesthetics with functionality, and her experience gained from, among others, Malwina Konopacka can be seen in her free handling of colour and hand-drawn decoration. Ola Szczepaniak, on the other hand, brings her distinctive, abstract visuality – colourful, rhythmic arrangements in which one can see her fascination with Polish design of the 1950s and 1960s and her sense of texture.
In FIGLACH, colour does not just decorate – it tells a story. The colours clash and intermingle harmoniously, creating almost musical arrangements. Each piece is created by hand, and the subtle differences between the individual pieces give the collection a unique, collectible character. These are vessels that speak of playfulness, lightness and a relaxed approach to creativity.
The series was created in a short run and each vessel is numbered. The creators make available for publication both photographs of the collection, as well as portraits and documentation of the process – revealing a behind-the-scenes collaboration in which two different sensibilities met, creating a cohesive and eye-catching whole.
Who are the authors of FIGLI?
Agata Puławska
Ceramicist and designer for whom form and colour are as important as function. She graduated from the Cinematography Department of the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School (PWSFTviT) in Łódź, but her professional interests lie in ceramics and craftsmanship. Her vessels are characterised by soft shapes and subtle decoration, and she gained experience as an assistant to Malwina Konopacka, among others.
Ola Szczepaniak
Illustrator and graphic designer, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Winner of the Art & Fashion Forum by Grażyna Kulczyk, honoured in the See & Say competition and the Polish Graphic Design Awards. She creates compositions bordering on abstraction, in which colour, texture and inspiration from the aesthetics of the 1950s and 1960s play a prominent role.
FIGLE is a collection that combines utility with artistic expression. It is a little playful, a little sophisticated – and completely immersed in colour. Ideal for those who like to surround themselves with things that are beautiful, unobvious and full of good energy.
Photos: Veronika Kurylo
See also: Ceramics | Painting |Sculpture | Dishes | Polish designers
