ukranian designers display art of resilience at maison&objet january 2023

ukraine exhibits new designs at maison&objet spring 2023

Maison&Objet exhibits the art of resilience with a dedicated display for Ukrainian design at the January 2023 show. From contemporized ancient weaves to sculptural lighting and bespoke furnishings, the products are all united in how they illustrate a sense of freedom, courage and beauty. As such, the exhibition shows how designers from the European country are continuing to create, launch and produce new collections.

‘It is very important for us to represent Ukrainian design today. Creativity is part of freedom for us,’ says Sana Moreau, co-curator of the ‘Art of Resilience’ exhibition, to designboom at Maison&Objet 2023.

All images courtesy of Maison&Objet

six designers from ukraine display at maison&objet

Maison&Objet gives carte blanche to the Ukrainian designers with a total of six designers and seven craftspeople. Société Maino, Sana Moreau and Anastasia Biletska co-curated the trade fair‘s exhibition, focusing on how the creative evokes the spirit of the country in their work. All the showcased designs share an identity of Ukraine, where new combinations of familiar materials and craft techniques have informed unique aesthetics with rich cultural codes.

‘In January 2023, we present new as well as well-known collections of 13 designers, creators and craftmakers who mix, rethink and recreate Ukrainian creativity. Each one sources inspiration from traditional techniques and infuse contemporary ideas and spirit from our country,’ explains co-curator Anastasia Biletska.

Splitting her time between Kyiv and Hong Kong, industrial designer Kateryna Sokolova is founder and creative director of her eponymous studio. She has worked with European and Asia clients, including Jarre Technologies, Lalique, Forestier, Cookoo Watch and Normann Copenhagen to name but a few. Her designs range from lighting to furniture in various styles.

Flock lounge chair by Kateryna Sokolova

Smith & Winken is a studio laboratory created by designer Valery Kuznetsov and architect Otto Winken. Together, the two creatives fuse their expertise to bring a unique interpretation to the art of design. Their work varies from sculptural lights to highly decorative furniture and accessories.

Hover lighting by Smith & Winken

Living and working in Kyiv, Dmitry Kozinenko is a graphic artist turned interior and product designer, currently focusing on furniture designs. He reverts to his background by sketching daily to bring about new ideas. The objects he creates look to discover new patterns. Functionality is balanced with deep art philosophy, finding and realizing novel forms albeit with simple and clear shapes.

Play armchair by Dmitry Kozinenko

Denis Sokolov, designer and co-founder of SVOYA studio, fashions beautiful designs that showcase the process of their creation. The practice’s use of diverse materials, from traditional timber to new textiles, create objects that appear cultural yet contemporary. New designs include the RAFT sofa in collaboration with DONNA, which combines seductive textures that upholster its curved forms.

RAFT sofa by DONNA and Denis Sokolov of SVOYA studio

Yuriy Rintovt, founder of his eponymous design studio, has a holistic approach that looks at the complete life cycle of public and private spaces as well as product designs. He finds that eco-design is not just the use of natural materials; good design also considers eco-sense, eco-love and eco-life. This moral practice of architecture, interiors and objects has guided a new range of designs including stools, benches and consoles.

seven craftspeople balance traditions with contemporary

Ceramic craft studio Zemna design, led by designers Titiana Krasoutska and Andriy Mykhailyak, created a ceramic cookware installation called Rozmova. The utilitarian cookware becomes a decorative element after connecting all the pieces. It envisages the production of ceramics using special template shapes that are handmade and carved.

Rozmova ceramic set by Zemna design

Andriy and Olesya Voznicki of Natura Ceramica imitates and rethinks nature through ceramic and wood vases. The crafters’ unique approach to ceramic inlays wooden elements recovered from old houses. The designs are then inspired by principles of roofs used for rural houses in the Carpathians.

GONTA ceramic vase collection by Natura Ceramica

Danuta Kril, co-owner and designer at Hochu Rayu, set up her design bureau with a focus on retail design, interiors of public spaces and object design. Her work with ceramics benefits from training in Lviv as a master of arts and design as well as practising as a furniture and interior designer initially after graduating.

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Mariia Puliaieva worked in the fields of graphic design and photography after studying in Kyiv. Her path into craft did not begin until after retraining at the European Design School, where her travels took her to a weaving workshop in he Carpathians. Fascinated by the ancient techniques of weaving carpets and blankets such as Lizhnik, the designer envisioned the aesthetic potential of the environmentally friendly production for furniture. Her brand Mapico commissions traditional craftswomen to create the material to upholster armchairs and poufs.

Mapico armchair by Mariia Puliaieva

Designer and creative director Michael Samoriz founded his eponymous studio after training as an interior designer. His work often seeks to reinterpret historic products or classic ideas in design. The results range from artful and sculptural lighting pieces to interior accessories.

Natalia Bulanova creates under her studio Staritska Maysternya

Natalia Bulanova creates furniture and décor with unique individuality and storytelling. The concept for her studio, called Staritska Maysternya, arose after purchasing a country house in the abandoned village of Staritske. Nothing but forests, fields and stunning views surround the building in a 2km radius. The ‘zero space’ inspired creativity and the beginning of her own furniture brand that utilizes wood as the main material.

Wood forms the main material for the furniture crafted by Staritska Maysternya

Evgeniy Litvinenko creates unique wallpapers, titled O, that prompts admiration and emotion. The expanded collection began after the designer made a bespoke print for his own interior project. He uses photographs of old paintings and frescos to form individual designs customized per client.

FAINA SONIAH collection by Victoria Yakusha

‘Together with Maison et Objet, we selected objects that reflect the beauty of Ukraine, the spirit of the land, and also perspectives on the future,’ adds Anastasia Biletska, co-curator of the ‘Art of Resilience’ exhibition, to designboom.

Surrounded by other exhibitors also showcasing artisanal designs, ‘Art of Resilience’ exhibits a unique insight into Ukrainian creativity. Products, ranging from woven chairs to handcrafted wooden cabinets and eccentric lighting, merge traditional manufacturing techniques with contemporary ideas and form. The materiality distinctly reflects the beauty of the land. The exhibition illustrates how Ukrainian designers are modernizing its craft heritage for the future still.

exhibition info:

fair: Maison&Objet

name: Art of Resilience

date: 19-23, 2022