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©Maciej Karpe
©Maciej Karpe
©Maciej Karpe
©Maciej Karpe
©Maciej Karpe

Arkadiusz Szwed

  • Ceramicist
  • Warsaw, Poland
  • Master Artisan
Arkadiusz Szwed Ceramicist
Contact
Polish, English
Hours:
Monday to Sunday 12:00 - 17:00
Phone:
+48 792762660
©Maciej Karpe

Experimenting with imagination

  • • Arkadiusz specialises in handmade cast porcelain objects
  • • His inspiration is pop culture, comics, animated series and computer games
  • • He is head of ceramics at the School of Form in Warsaw

Arkadiusz Szwed is one of the most talented and inspiring ceramic artists of his generation in Europe. He designs handmade cast porcelain objects in unique shapes, colours and sizes that go beyond the accepted standards. His artistic journey started at the age of 15, but it wasn’t until 2007 that he decided to become a ceramic designer. At that time, he started working for his teacher, Marek Cecuła, in the Modus Design Studio in Kielce, where he developed his passion for plaster turning, modelling, slip casting and pottery. Since then, he has created various objects from futuristic vases, elegant tableware to the largest ceramic rosary in Poland. The artist explains that the core of his work is to experiment freely with the form and capture chaos into a specific mould. His pieces of work are admired from Reykjavik to Budapest.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Maciej Karpe
  • ©All rights reserved
  • ©All rights reserved
  • ©All rights reserved
  • ©Arkadiusz Szwed
Photo: ©Maciej Karpe
Guts vase

This porcelain vase is part of Arkadiusz Szwed’s continued research into form and structure. Arkadiusz uses non-obvious everyday objects to create a mould. This time, the objects of interest were balloons, which are used to make balloon animals, adored by children. As a result, the vase is organic in its form, evoking associations with the guts of an undefined living organism.

Height 33 cm
Diameter 16 cm

Photo: ©All rights reserved
Guts vase

This white porcelain vase is part of Arkadiusz Szwed’s continued research into form and structure. Arkadiusz uses non-obvious everyday objects to create the mould. This time, the objects of interest were balloons, which are used to make balloon animals, adored by children. As a result, the vase is organic in its form, evoking associations with the guts of an undefined living organism.

Height 33 cm
Diameter 16 cm

Photo: ©All rights reserved
Coral plate

This sculptural porcelain piece results from a mould casting made by drilling random holes into a plaster block. This destructive process introduces an element of randomness, which in a world of constant control and striving for perfection, allows us to see everyday objects in a different light. In the firmly established age of polarisation between perfection and imperfection, Arkadiusz Szwed searches for his own way to freely explore the possibilities of the material he works with.

Height 8 cm
Diameter 30 cm

Photo: ©All rights reserved
Bumps 2.0

This sculptural porcelain piece is part of a set of ceramic objects created as the result of an experiment with a new, personal technique of porcelain casting. As part of the process, plastic balls are pushed under an elastic fabric, which is pulled over a plaster model, allowing the balls to be moved around freely. This intervention randomly shapes the form. This technique allows the formation of moulds using a method similar to that provided by 3D printing tools.

Photo: ©Arkadiusz Szwed
Skeleton

This sculptural porcelain piece was created as the result of an experiment with a new, personal technique of porcelain casting. Wooden rollers are pushed under an elastic fabric, which is pulled over a plaster model, allowing the rollers to be moved around freely. This intervention randomly shapes the form. This technique allows the formation of moulds using a method similar to that provided by 3D printing tools, however it is fully analogue.

Enjoy an experience with Arkadiusz Szwed

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