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ISSUE 03
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SPECIALEDITION#ISBN: 978-1-777800-9-9

OSLO
NORWAY
November 15, 2022

www.merci-magazine.com

EXHIBITION

For me,the moment is Now.
MariaJJ Works have been exhibitedinternationally including in Asia. Her
forthcoming show is in Milan, where her
work will be shown in the ‘Jewelry Drops’
exhibition

ART

MariaJJ art pieces are issued as series
or collections with strong titles such as‘Dining Sets for Feminists’. Her jewelry is
wearable art.

CREATION

Exhibition at ACC Posio Finland
Egg Vessels 2022 - 1 (4)O NE CIT Y
MariaJJ works are the creations of aceramicist at the peak of her artistry.
MariaJJ Works are collectable objectsof beauty and functionality that are to
be found in many public and private
collections. The egg is a signature motif,
one that Maria feels is central to her work,
and which is epitomised by her Egg Vessel,
made in porcelain and hand painted inclassical Meissen decoration techniques
including with gold and platinum.

OSLO

For Maria Joanna Juchnowska, ceramic artist, designer, curator and founder of Mari JJ
Design, the moment is “Now” in a “lifelong adventure” in ceramics in which” practice,persistence, patience, mental strength and dedication” are key. Her beliefs echo those ofdesigner April Greiman that ‘Design must seduce, shape and perhaps more importantly,
evoke an emotional response.’
Maria is fearless in pushing the boundaries of ceramics, saying that her designs are“functional art products with a modern twist on dark humour” that also serve as “criticism
of contemporary social issues”. With titles such as ‘Dining Set for Feminists’ and ‘Mine isBigger than Yours’, the humour is clear spoken. The work is accomplished, fragile and yet

INTERVIEW

strong and utterly hers. One commission from a priest for an Eucharistic set led to theHoly series. The priest left the church, but Maria continued to make a series of religious
pieces to serve in a place of religion that celebrates the female reproductive organ up
til today when she is enhancing thecollection with gold painting.

Maria talks frankly about her work, thedifficulties of covid lockdowns, herhopes for the future and commitment tosustainability. She describes the impactthat Asia has had on her work and her newfound love of Lapland where forthcoming
residencies will see her work evolve in thepure light of the arctic.

INSPIRATION THROUGH EDUCATION“Maria is fearless in pushing theboundaries of ceramics, sayingthat her designs are “functionalart products with a modern
twist on dark humour” that also
serve as “criticism of contemporary social issues”. With titles
such as ‘Dining Set for Feminists’and ‘Mine is Bigger than Yours’,

Stylistic rendering of the female
ovary is a signature motif as is theegg, a symbol of eternal life. Maria
speaks of being “fascinated by theegg, as a shape, as a life force”. In
homage, she created the first Egg
Vessel

in

2017.

Early

prototypes

were made at Meissen Manufaktur inGermany during her time there from2017-2018.
andWorking

inporcelainhand-paintinginclassical

Meissendecoration

techniques

including carat gold and platinum,
the prototypes were followed bya large body of work made at theThrough academic teaching & as aspeaker at symposia, Maria is inspiring
new generations of ceramicists.

Franz Collection in China’s ceramic
EGG VESSELS REBIRTHPHOTO CREDIT H. PARKBY MERCI MAGAZINEMARIA JOANNA JUCHNOWSKA / MARIJJ DESIGN

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ISSUE 03

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O NE STO RY, O N E INT E RV I E W

The idea of working as
an artist, designer andcurator gives me more
freedom to do what I
think is best for me ateach present moment of
my life ….There is always
something new to learn.
Ceramics as a medium
can be hard to define as
it fits all three categories
of art, craft and design. I
like to navigate between
the three and learn fromeach field.”

FOR ME, THE MOMENT IS NOW.
How do you get inspired?
The inspiration comes from within. I do not seek to beinspired and I am not looking for inspiration. Simply awalk in nature, a trip to some new place, a situation, ora life situation brings to me the best topics. I treat work
as a meditation, nothing else exists to the moment ofcreation. I am 100% focused, but that doesn’t mean I can
not multitask or manage busy or stressful life situations
in between. The best outcomes come to me when
I am the one in the process of working. Residencies
or symposiums are very good for having work done
effectively. I do not like working on one piece for areally long time as thoughts are running away, for me
the moment is Now.
What is the process of becoming a ceramic artist?

Egg Vessels Royal Green 2
Photo credit P. Seweryn
Egg Vessels White on blue 4
Photo credit P. Seweryn

capital Jingdezhen from 2018-2019. Editions of the Egg Vessel

Culture Organisation (NPoK), a cultural organization based

are now central to her work. The third edition, ‘Deep Ocean’in Oslo, citing business entrepreneur and thinker Harvey(2020), was made as tribute to the beauty of mother nature

Mackay’s mantra that ‘Fresh ideas emerge where everyone canmirrored in the unknown depths of our planet waters. Pieces

contribute freely, in a barrier-free environment’ as a founding

from the collection were shown in October last year at Seibu

perspective. NPoK’s first exhibition ‘2010’ was shown online in

Shybuya Tokyo in the Inner Space exhibition co-curated by

2020 due to the lockdown.

Design Pier and Merci Magazine as part of DesignArt Tokyo.
Lockdown

also

prompted

Maria

to

think

more

about

Damage as tragedy can lead to renewal. Exploring the ancientsustainability. As she did in turning to Kintsugi

to makeart of Kintsugi was the result of damage to a piece from thewhole a broken piece so she says lockdown taught her toFerrari Red Collection created in Jingdezhen China in 2019.

“always try to reuse broken stuff or turn it into something

Broken in transit, Maria mastered the Kintsugi restorationnew”, acknowledging that “the roots of this have more to dotechnique in which cracks are made both obvious and more[than Kintsugi] with my upbringing in communist and post-

beautiful by the application of powdered gold pigment, calling

communist Poland in the 80s and 90s.”

the result “better than the original piece”. The attention that
Egg Vessels Royal Green 3
Photo credit P. Seweryn

this piece attracted led to an exhibition in Norway and a

Maria has participated in international exhibitions and fairsbronze award at the 2021 A`Design Award competition.

across Europe and in New York, Tokyo, London, Dubai,South Korea and China. She has been awarded laureate andMaria’s latest adventure has taken her to the edge of the

finalist in international competitions with awards including

world. Last year (this year 2022), she was invited to attend

honourable mention, Cheongju Biennale Craft Competition

the 12th Ceramic Symposium at the Arctic Ceramic Centre in

2021; Martinsons Award, Latvia Ceramics Biennale 2021, Make

Posio Finland - the most northernly-located ceramics centre

Me! Łódź Design Festival 2019; Talente 2018 Munich; Futurein the world - by the centre’s acclaimed creative director, Suku

Lights 2016/17; and the Chouftouhonna International Festival

Park. She remained in Posio for an ACC residency that enabledof Feminist Art, Tunis 2016. She works in co-operation with

her to explore working with stoneware slip from local ceramic

luxury goods brands such as Meissen GMbH and the Franz

factory Pentik, adding colour stains to the slip and firing using

Collection. Her Mari JJ Design limited-edition collections

wood-firing technique.

were made at the porcelain and stoneware factories Ćmielów,
Kristoff and Bolesławiec in Poland. It is an impressive resume.

Any attempt to define Maria’s work is futile, as it escapes easy
definition. This is her deliberate choice. “The idea of working

Looking into the future for this multi-talented artist, designer

as an artist, designer and curator gives me more freedom toand curator will need a One Story told in several Chapters.

do what I think is best for me at each present moment of myMaria Joanna Juchnowska speaks of her work and her brandlife ….There is always something new to learn. Ceramics as a

Mari JJ Design being “of the Now”. What is for certain is thatmedium can be hard to define as it fits all three categories of

the Now for Maria is in the direction North. In Finland, she hasart, craft and design. I like to navigate between the three andfound a new artistic home. Further residencies at Hansaram inlearn from each field.”the pure landscape of the artic will doubtless lead to work ofbrilliance and beauty. Maria’s lifelong adventure in ceramics

Lockdown prompted an enhancement of the curatorial.

and deep love of our planet make that a certainty.

In my case, it is many years of work. I started at 15 years
old in 2000 and from the beginning, I knew I wanted towork in ceramics and I do to this day. I stayed faithful tothis medium. I had education in College for 5 years strictlyin ceramics and then I continued my Master’s studies in
Poland and Sweden both masters in Ceramics and Glasswith a focus on ceramic art and design. I continued
working on various residencies and symposiums
internationally and participating in exhibitions andcompetitions. I touched different mediums such as
glass, bronze, silicone, animation, and performance but
it was always connected to my previous works madein ceramics. Now after two decades I can tell I haveexpertise but it is impossible not to learn new things asceramics is such a broad medium there is always going
to be something to discover such as new techniques orcollaboration between art, craft, and design. Those arealways crossing, and it is impossible in the long run to
divide them and categorize them as they always merge
together. There is a huge misconception about theceramic field and it starts with amateurs who find clay
relieving to work with, and they can see fast effects bymaking a cup, for example, or throwing something on
the potter wheel. There is much more to ceramics thanbeing a potter and sharing the process on social media.
People think that being a ceramicist is easy and they
can do it on their own. Yes, they can, to a certain extent,
but for example, porcelain is very demanding and the
problems start when you, as a ceramicist, can’t take a
failure of broken pieces.
I recently had the experience of having 2 assistants it
was just a confirmation that You just simply can’t learn
ceramics in only 3 years on various courses or evenbecome a graduate from university, it is just impossible.
It is a lifetime dedication every real ceramic artist willtell you the same. You learn how to work over the years
and with time and experience, you become one with thematerial You learn how to move in the studio, lift heavy
forms so as not to damage yourself after one week,
how to throw and not get lifelong health problems
with your shoulder or neck, or simply to work very fast
when the process requires it, or slowly and patiently
when you work with detailed work. Sometimes one
touch too much and the whole work disappears in yourhands because you overly pushed it and the material
wasn’t going to take the pressure any longer. It is alifelong adventure, not a few courses to “Know How”
or “DIY”. Practice, persistence, mental strength, anddedication are the key. You must as well have a certain
approach to the whole ceramic process, patience isvery important, and obedience to material limitations
is required here. There is never a situation where you“know it all” it is just impossible.
What is the inspiration behind your egg vessels andKintsugi Ferrari Red porcelain ceramics? Could you
share some of your creative processes with us?

With two colleagues, Maria founded the Norwegian Polish
Kintsugi was the result of damage to one of my pieces

from the Ferrari Red Collection
I created in Jingdezhen China
in 2019. I was forced to repack
the suitcase quickly at the
airport and one of the parts
got smashed during the travel.
I flew for many hours from
Shanghai to Oslo and thefirst thing I did at the airport I
opened the suitcase and heard
smashed porcelain pieces. For
the next hour or so I was crying
like a baby as if someone had
died. I put so much energy,
effort, and funds to be able
to make such a collection. I
left the pieces under the sofa.
I couldn’t look at it for half ayear. Then the right moment
came when I finished building
my home studio and I feltthat this is the time to do some restoration work withthe broken vessel. I had never done it before, I always
wanted to but there wasn’t a right moment. I followed
the Japanese kintsugi technique from various tutorials
and articles. I tried to work as close to the actualtechnique of restoration, using powdered gold pigment.
I think the result was better than the original piece. It
got a lot of attention and was immediately chosen foran exhibition in Norway and this year it got awarded abronze award at A`Design competitions in the sectionof “Arts, Crafts, and Ready Mades”.
When it comes to Egg Vessels the idea was born alreadyin 2017 and it was inspired by my earlier works by theuse of the similar shape of an egg. I am fascinated by it.
So simple and yet complex at the same time that is hard
to explain and is just a perfect shape in my eyes. I madefirst prototypes of the Egg Vessel at Meissen Manufakturin Germany during my time there between 2017-2018
and continued with it at Franz Collection in Jingdezhen
China in 2018-2019 where I have created a large bodyof works. Recently, I had just returned from the 12th
Ceramic Symposium at the Arctic Ceramic Center in
Posio Finland, a very unique place in the arctic circle
where reindeer say “good morning and good night”. I
have mainly used a local stoneware slip from a local
ceramic factory Pentik. I added some color stains anddeveloped my own palette and combined pieces withthe wood firing technique in the whole collection. As
well I discovered a new unique technique for working
with slip casts and pigments. The residency placeinsured me with its nature and remote location, very
unique landscape, and amazing hospitality of local
Finish people. It is worth mentioning that Arctic CeramicCenter is the most northern located center in the world
as well as a member of the International Academy of
Ceramics. Its creative director Suku Park is a well-known
figure in the professional ceramic world. He invited me
to join the symposium as he said that 5 pictures of myworks convinced him that I would be the right person towork with Korean and Singaporean artists.
Posio is a very small place yet is full of surprises not
only about the nature around, thousands of lakes andoccasionally aurora, there are some new initiatives
coming along very soon. Hansaram.co is led by ceramicartist Suku Park. The corporation operates art andcommunity initiatives and in winter 2022/2023 they
will open the Hansaram House, a small crafts museum
and a residency for artists, activists, and private
guests. House is currently under construction, theconstruction is ecologically built and over 90% of thebuilding materials are free of any glues or chemicals.
The main construction materials, wood, and timber are
also sourced regionally. The building operates on 100%
renewable energy. Hansaram in Korean means ‘one
person or a ‘Han’ person – a reference to the Korean

heritage of Suku Park and his family. It is also a wordplayof the Park family’s children’s names, Hans and Sara.
In light of your many collaborations in Asia, what
inspires you most?
I started to collaborate and show in Asia in 2018 andunfortunately traveling was not possible since 2020. I
wish I could go back to China for example and work
more in the ceramic capital Jingdezhen. Yes, I wasfortunate to have a few exhibitions there. I exhibited in
Korea at Cheongju Craft Biennale and in Japan at the
DesignArt both in 2021. The biggest inspiration would be
the cultural heritage, people, and life in general. The big
impact had on me, how Asians, in general, are using andperceive ceramics and have to with thousands of years
long heritage, and how it was changing throughout
different dynasties for example in China.
In Asia there is a strong culture of the tea ceremony
and the smallest ceramic items can be the mostvaluable ones. In Europe, we drink from large cups anddon’t pay that much attention to the smallest objects.
Somehow the size of the object determines its value
over here. So designing and creating in Asia will differ
depending on the needs and the cultural heritage, thisis a very interesting observation I made on one of myfirst journeys.
As a curator, designer, and artist, how do you manage
your brand?
Throughout my life, I have learned that everything
happens for a reason. This is karma. My design decisions
are also informed by this belief. I am aware that even alittle mistake can affect an entire project. This awarenessleads to better decision making.
Is there anything that has inspired you the mostfor your design and art creation during the global
pandemic?
Yes of course I did things that normally I would neverdo. I moved my studio close to my house, because of
the lockdowns we couldn’t go anywhere so I dropped
renting an expensive place that I couldn’t go to andused what I had at hand. I restored old storage only
from recycling materials. The place became my newworkshop, it has its limitations, of course, it’s not perfectand I can’t do everything there but it is enough for now
and I can work there whenever I want. The inability to
exhibit in real life has pushed me to start a new initiativefrom the scratch. I and my two colleagues have founded
a new cultural organization based in Oslo. Norwegian
Polish Culture Organisation NPoK was primarily inspiredby earlier curatorial work I have done with the samegroup of people and the feeble reaction of institutions
during the first phases of the pandemic. This year weare focusing on growing the actual organization and
BY MERCI MAGAZINEBY MERCI MAGAZINEMARIA JOANNA JUCHNOWSKA / MARIJJ DESIGNISSUE 03

MARIA JOANNA JUCHNOWSKA / MARIJJ DESIGNISSUE 03

Being detail-oriented means paying close attention to all aspects when working on a task or project. I advocate an approach
where each step is completed as flawlessly as possible before moving on. For me. this is the way to produce high-quality workwith little or no errors.

CREATION BECOMES AN
INSPIRATION TO
OTHERS
Wood Firing at arctic Ceramic centre picture credit H. Parksoon accepting new members from all over the world
for collaborations such as exhibitions etc. We as wellplanning on giving the workshops to youth this year
supported by Sparebankstiftelsen in Norway.

“

Sense of belonging changed during the pandemic,
because of the location where we were forced to live.
When it comes to art and design I started thinking
even more about sustainability. That is when I did
Kintsugi which I talked about a bit before. I do not
like throwing things away in my studio. I always try toreuse broken stuff or turn it into something new butthat has something more to do with my upbringing incommunist and post-communist Poland in 80 and 90.
Now it’s different we throw out absolutely everything.
Especially in Norway, it is a clash for me as Norway
presents itself as an extremely “pro-green and eco”
country, but believe me, you would be shocked
what you can find in Miljø Station (recycling Station).
Awareness is changing slowly here but in my opinion,
there is still a lot to do in this department like smallthings not just big ideas of electric cars and zero
emission. ‘We are also planning on giving workshops
to youth’.

Through academic teaching & as a speaker at symposia, Maria is inspiring
new generations of ceramicists. In 2020, she became Visiting Professor,
Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art & Design, Wrocław and, since 2017,
guest lecturer, Parsons New School of Design, New York and at JCI
Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, China. She has spoken at symposia including‘Working with art internationally’, Norskekunsthåndverkere, Oslo & ‘EcerS
European Ceramic Symposium’, Budapest and leads on mentoring & art
advice for ‘Exploring Ceramics’, Oslo.

Maria Joanna Juchnowska Artist, designer, curator, founder of Mari JJ Design
brand based in Oslo Norway- launched in 2010, in Stockholm Sweden.
Participated in many international exhibitions and fairs in New York, Tokyo,
London, Dubai, South Korea, China, and across Europe.
Laureate and finalist of international competitions: Honorable Mention at Cheongju
Biennale Craft Competition 2021, Martinsons Award 2021, Make Me! Łódź Design
Festival 2019, Talente 2018 Munich, Future Lights 2016/17, Chouftouhonna
Feminist ArtFestival 2016, Nachtmann Design Competition 2011.
​
Cooperated with high-end companies including brands of luxury goods such as

Are there any upcoming exhibitions?

Meissen GMbH, Franz Collection in Taiwan/China.

Yes, I have a few running already and planned. In October
my jewelry pieces will be shown during Milan Jewelry
week at the “Jewellery Drops” exhibition. Recently theexhibition of the 12th Ceramic Symposium was openin Lapland Finland, it will run till the end of this year.
In 2022 I decided to be represented by one of the art
Galleries in my country of origin Poland. Gallery Vivid
is active in promoting my works and they are making
showrooms all over Poland. Of course, I have a few
plans for the next year but it is better not to spoil it at
the moment, so there is always something waiting forme around the corner.

Since 2007 implemented Mari JJ Design limited-edition collections at porcelain
and stoneware factories: Ćmielów, Kristoff, Bolesławiec in Poland.
Maria Joanna Juchnowska is a member of the following organizations:
IAC International Academy of Ceramics
Norske Kunsthåndverkere
Norske Billedkunstnere
Artaxis International Ceramic Artist Association​
Maria Juchnowska is one of the founders of the recently established Norwegian
Polish Culture Organisation NPoK#ISSUE 03

MARIA JOANNA JUCHNOWSKA / MARIJJ DESIGN#ISBN: 978-1-777800-9-9
Website: https://www.juchnowska.com

Managing Director: Peggy Lui

Contact: https://www.juchnowska.com/contact

Editor and copywriter: Lianne Hackett
Art Direction: Peggy Lui

Photo courtesy of MARIJJ DESIGNOne Story by Merci Media Corproation is a Trademark publication.

Design by: Dasom Park

Trademark file number 2222129.
It all begins with one story - One Brandm One Solution One Story.

Printed in Canada

MARIA JOANNA JUCHNOWSKA / MARIJJ DESIGN