Aleksander Oniszh

Furniture maker

A testament to materiality

Aleksander is a furniture designer and maker
His process starts with sketching his designs on wood
His works explore many varieties of wood and their natural properties

Aleksander Oniszh’s path in craftsmanship started from in the world of theatre. In 2012, he worked as a scenographer at Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Krakow. It was around that time that Aleksander discovered wood as a material. He created his first object, a wardrobe, and decided to pursue a career in furniture making. After meticulously studying the aspects of the craft on his own, Aleksander opened his first workshop and founded ONISZH furniture studio in 2013. Today, he is one of Poland’s most sought-after furniture designers. Aleksander creates objects that combine art and functionality. As a self-taught artisan, he is keen to experiment with technical solutions, while being devoted to classic approaches. "My works are usually made from beech, pear, ash, plum, cherry and oak which are the traditional woods material found in Polish nature," he explains.

Interview

How do you express traditions and innovations in your work?: I sketch my designs onto wood. My work is a combination of traditional craft knowledge with an unconventional approach to using tools, a balance between physical and mental work, design and execution.
Could your craft be considered endangered?: Furniture making as a craft is related to the availability of wood on the market. That, in turn, is connected with the availability of wood in nature. I have a feeling that in the coming decades, woodwork may be endangered for these two reasons.
Is there something about your work that people do not usually know?: There is one fact about my work that people are usually surprised by. After finishing a new project, it takes a lot of time for me to get used to it and 'accept' the object. A well-made object, to me, is something that looks as if it was made effortlessly.
What are your specialisations?: Within the creative process, I generally use traditional hand tools and woodworking machines. I approach material with a deep understanding of the physicality of wood and its structural properties. I also love 'struggling' with the material.

Aleksander Oniszh is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2013