Abstract teapots
- Bojana makes illustrated vessels
- She finds inspiration in her chosen materials
- Before ceramics, she worked as a fashion stylist for six years
Bojana Ristevski Mlaker always wanted to be a ceramic artist. Ever since she played in mud as a child, she has loved the craft. When she had to decide what to study, she chose between costume design and ceramic art and her love for design and costumes took her on the path to becoming a stylist. After six years, she was drawn back to her roots, to the earth and its possibilities, opening her ceramics studio Juha in 2017 after she relocated to Slovenia. She started producing clay objects, either unique or in small series, selling them in Belgrade and Ljubljana. “My inspiration comes from within," Bojana says, and when it arrives she works with haste, taking no breaks.
INTERVIEW
I find inspiration in the materials I work with. Sometimes I’m inspired by white, fragile porcelain, and sometimes by rough, black fire clay. When I’m out of ideas, which rarely happens, I draw for days. My drawings are visual notes of my inner world.
I often stick to forms such as tea pots or bowls, which are traditional. But what’s innovative is that I always have the need to transform and shift those classical forms. I take away their utilitarian value and treat them as a canvas or decoration.
The objects I make are all unique, I don’t tend to repeat myself or work in big series. There is always a moment when I think something is done and finished. But I gladly leave some of my works unfinished, with errors that I find charming.
When I picked up clay as a young adult, I had a strong flashback to my childhood and it woke up a whole world inside me. I just knew – this was it. Today, what I love most is that sense of peace that comes during work and the happiness when I open the kiln.
