‘Ukraine: The Art of Resilience’ design exhibition @ Maison & Objet 2023. ‘Guculiya.Tini’ ceramics by Danuta Kril – Photos by ©AETHION.

Design – “It is very important for us to represent Ukrainian design today. Creativity is part of freedom for us,” says co-curator Sana Moreau who, with Anastasia Biletska, brought Maison & Objet the sense of freedom and the courage of Ukrainian design. The ‘Ukraine: The Art of Resilience’ exhibition features contemporised ancient weaves, sculptural lighting, and bespoke furniture, showing how designers and craftspeople keep mixing, rethinking, and reshaping the country’s creative scene despite the ongoing war.

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From left: Flock chairs by Kateryna Solokova, wall sculpture by Natura Ceramica ceramics, and textiles by Danuta Kril.

Kateryna Solokova presents the Flock chairs collection with subtly curved artistic silhouettes, soft fabric, and wooden legs that define the furniture’s relaxation and cuteness.

Danuta Kril, co-owner and designer at Hochu Rayu retail design studio showcases Guculiya.Tini, a collection of textiles and ceramics that emerges from the depths of the Ukrainian ethnic. It is also an experiment – a combination of traditional pottery technology and minimalist geometric shapes.

From left: vessels by Natura Ceramica, a kinetic sculpture by Smith & Winken, a drawer by Natalia Bulanova, and lamps by FAINA.

Smith & Winken studio presents one of its kinetic sculptures combining movement and light to highlight the organic harmony of a mechanical object and reflect on our personal and emotional relationship with art, beauty, and time. Yuriy Rintovt showcases a white cabinet with draws in dark earthy tones recalling Ukrainian soil.

From left: Mapico armchair by Mariia Puliaieva, Staritska Maysternya’s round wall sculpture and wooden drawer, and vessels by Natura Ceramica.

Fascinated by the ancient techniques of weaving carpets and blankets, Mariia Puliaieva explores environmentally friendly furniture production. For the Mapico armchair, she teamed up with traditional craftswomen to create the upholstered part. Natalia Bulanova of Staritska Maysternya studio presents a round wall sculpture and a wooden drawer with exquisitely crafted wool elements.

Vessels by Natura Ceramica.

Andriy and Olesya Voznicki of Natura Ceramica imitate and rethink nature through ceramic and wood vases. The crafters’ unique approach to ceramic inlays and wooden elements recovered from old houses. In Paris, they also present a series of vessels and a ‘ceramic’ canvas.

Soniah lamps by FAINA.

Ukrainian ancestral craftsmanship is revived in the SONIAH lamp collection by Victoriya Yakusha’s design studio FAINA. Inspired by the country’s national sunflower and modeled using an ancestral clay technique,  the pieces stand out for their primitive style.

SVOYA studio showcases its plush sofa system with smooth pebble-shaped upholstered seats, poufs, and tables. On show also the soft and minimalist Play chair with a bagel-shaped back by Dmitry Kozinenko for WOO Furniture.

Front: Play chain by Dmitri Kozienko. Back: sofa by SVOYA Studio.