The life of Johann Nikadimus has taken a few impressive twists and turns. A native of Kazan, he moved to Moscow after obtaining his drama school diploma and worked in fashion retail. As a hobby, he participated in a folk music album recording and the band used a picture of an ancient kokoshnik on the cover. In researching this image, Johann became enchanted with the craft of making these traditional Russian headdresses and started looking for a master to teach him. Now he is one of a handful of artisans who know how to make them. Using ancient techniques including goldwork, pearl embroidery and handstitching, Johann creates fabulous replicas of this historical headwear. In 2022 Johann relocated to Serbia and continues to practise his craft there.

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Description 	This gala tiara is a manifestation of Johann Nikadimus' inspiration with the Ancient Greek culture and mode. The jewellery framers for this tiara were made by designer and jeweller Anna Hoffman.

Tiara with bay leaves

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Johann Nikadimus was inspired by the numerous examples of traditional headpieces displayed in various Slavic museums. For this headpiece, Johann used pearl ornaments and vintage Tibetan brocade, arranging all the pieces so that the pattern resembled golden wings.

Headpiece "Kokoshnik" with wings

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This is a replica of the 19th century headdress "Koruna" (“Crown”) from the Vologda region in Russia. For this headpiece Johann analysed around 10 pieces of "korunas", which are currently displayed in several museums, and then created his own version with similar materials, preserving this ancient ornament in time.

“Pochiolok” headpiece

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To bring this tiara to life, Johann Nikadimus employed his knowledge of ancient embroidery and followed his fascination with the royal high jewellery tiaras from the 19th century, as well as with the Art Deco ornamentation,

Tiara with lilies

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Drawing on the ancient embroidery technologies and techniques, Johann Nikadimus created and based this headpiece on the portrait of the 18th-century noblewoman Kusova. In this work, Johann used gold and green antique Italian beads.

Title	“Pochiolok” headpiece

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Velimir Vukičević studied ceramics at university in Belgrade, then Yugoslavia, before starting work as a freelance artist. He later become professor of ceramic sculpture at the Art University of Belgrade. However, on moving to Switzerland, he faced a turning point in his work. Demand wasn’t very strong for his traditional Serbian designs, so Velimir began a creative process to find a new design path. “It was an important change, and not an easy one, since change doesn’t come suddenly,” he says. Through his work, Velimir now attempts to master the illusion of trompe-l'oeil and explores the relationship between shape and colour.

Vukičević, Velimir

Creating illusions in porcelain

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Jovana Čavorović is a Belgrade-based ceramic artist whose works are characterised by a deep connection with ceramics, a passion for exploring the natural world and for pushing the boundaries of what is possible with this craft. One of the features of Jovana's work is her dedication to experimentation. She constantly experiments with clay, attempting new techniques and materials to create innovative forms and textures. Jovana graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts, University of Belgrade, and received her master's degree in 2010. In 2020, she completed a two-year study at the Tajima City Ceramic Technical Centre in Japan under the mentorship of artist Harumi Nakashima.

Cavorovic, Jovana

Japanese influences

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Nemanja Nikolic Prika took a ceramics class when he was 16, just as a hobby. But it was a revelation to him, and almost immediately he began to consider that he could become an artist. Today, every day is a journey as he pursues his research into ceramics, focusing on ideas related to movement and light. The most important thing for him is that his craft has a real application in life, however he also wants his pieces to convey emotions. He trusts his material to show him the best, most satisfactory outcomes.

Nikolic Prika, Nemanja

An illuminated world

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Olga Myltseva uses the principles of molecular cuisine in her ceramics; sometimes it is a challenge to guess what her pieces are made of. One of her signature skills, is imitating different materials and textures, from rusted metal to stone, using clay. "I am fascinated by the tactile experience that ceramics can offer," she says. "It gives me a thrill to create a piece that feels like concrete or looks like copper." She started out by making dolls from papier maché and polymeric materials, but soon sought a new, more versatile medium for her ideas. Ceramics gave Olga what she was looking for, and her creativity exploded. She now makes intricate vases, exuberant figurative sculptures and thought-provoking wall panels.

Myltseva, Olga

An explosion of creativity

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Developed in partnership with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and made possible by the support of Cartier, Homo Faber in Città gives you a rare chance to visit over 70 artisan workshops. The project is developed in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Confartigianato Imprese Venezia, CNA Venezia, Consorzio Promovetro Murano, The Venice Glass Week and Venezia da Vivere.

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Step inside the workshops and ateliers to learn the secrets of local master artisans and manufacturers

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This september, the second edition of Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to step off the beaten track and discover the artisanal addresses where Venetian craftspeople create objects of exquisite beauty. A rare opportunity to witness Venice’s master artisans and young talents demonstrating their crafts and presenting the tools, materials and skills involved in contemporary Venetian craftsmanship.

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Homo Faber Guide is an online portal dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, showcasing artisans, ateliers, museums, galleries, shops and experiences. Create your user account for access to exclusive features on Homo Faber Guide: save your preferred pages, hear about hot topics first, leave recommendations for your favourite artisans and much more.

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Although the Michelangelo Foundation researches the talents for its projects autonomously, collaboration with our ambassadors is fundamental. Over 120 associations, schools and institutions allow us to map the continents for craftsmanship and to have partners in each country who share our vision and goals. In addition, we have asked well-known personalities in the craft, design and art world to be our ambassadors in the cities where they live, so that their recommendations can offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in the major cities of Europe and beyond.

Who are our ambassadors?

Download our free Homo Faber Guide app (iOS and Android) to discover artisans, museums, galleries, shops, and experiences by location. Search Homo Faber on the App store on your mobile device.

Find craftsmanship destinations on the go

Discover the addresses of esteemed manufacturers, well known for producing high quality objects across a wide variety of crafts. Read their stories and find out where you can shop their contemporary pieces, see their archive collections and even in some cases visit their workshops. Find exceptional ateliers where artisans collaborate creatively to create fine pieces of craftsmanship. Reach out to them to commission something special.

Ateliers & Manufacturers

All the artisans and small workshops featured in Homo Faber Guide have been carefully researched and selected. They are presented and narrated through a selection of images and an interview, which allows readers to immerse themselves in the universe of these makers who exemplify excellence in their individual fields or are promising talents of the future. Find masters and rising stars who share the same passion and determination, and whose workshops are ready to share their secrets with visitors.

A selection of the best artisans

Are you eager to discover a city through craftsmanship? Do you wish to spend a few hours visiting an applied arts museum or attending a course on a craft with one of the masters featured in Homo Faber Guide? Browse the section dedicated to experiences and find your next adventure.

Experiences

An expert artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years. He or she may also be engaged in passing on their knowledge to the next generations, but they have been doing so for less than seven years. Beyond this, they will become a Master artisan.

Who is an Expert artisan?

Homo Faber Guide provides you with a selection of the best addresses across Europe and further afield, where you will be able to discover and purchase exceptional objects, some of which are created by artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide.

Galleries

Homo Faber Guide is an online platform dedicated to craftsmanship that allows you to discover artisans and their masterpieces; explore museums, visit galleries and shops selling unique objects; enjoy experiences in cities across Europe and beyond.

Homo Faber Guide is a signature project developed by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an international non-profit organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was set up in 2016 thanks to the intuition of Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert. The Michelangelo Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship, and for this reason it has created a map of the most significant representatives in this field, with the aim of connecting all its protagonists: artisans, designers, gallery owners, art curators, collectors and enthusiasts of high-quality handmade pieces.

About the Guide

Are you an artisan, atelier or manufacturer? Would you like to be featured in Homo Faber Guide? The Michelangelo Foundation encourages self-assessment initiatives and is pleased to evaluate new members to appear on the Guide or in other projects. Thanks to the Master’s Touch Evaluation Tool, every artisan can send their application: register and access a questionnaire to see if you fulfill the 11 criteria for excellence that stand behind all the activities of the Michelangelo Foundation. If your answers reach the minimum requirement, your application will be brought to our attention; if, on the contrary, you should score below the minimum requirement, we will give you some points for improvement, in the hope that you may participate in future initiatives of the Michelangelo Foundation.

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Our artisan labels

A master artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years, and who has also been engaged in passing on his or her expertise to the younger generations for more than seven years. This is in keeping with one of the key values of the Michelangelo Foundation: the transmission of knowledge in craftsmanship.

Who is a Master artisan?

Find museums handpicked for their links to contemporary craftsmanship and the exquisite collections they have on display. In each city, discover a museum of interest and organise your visit. From Italian museums displaying coral collections, glass pieces and ceramics to decorative art museums in Russia and Greece, marvel at the variety of museums exhibiting masterpieces, showcasing techniques and recounting histories.

Museums

A rising star is an artisan who has been active for less than ten years, and who is capable of expressing his or her craft with competence, creativity and originality. Whether self-taught or trained, the rising star represents the future of craftsmanship, in creativity, concerns and approaches.

Who is a Rising star?

The artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide have been selected through a meticulous assessment process based on the 11 criteria for excellence, identified by Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, in the volume The Master’s Touch, written with researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. The members of the Michelangelo Foundation’s network who have been invited to participate in sourcing artisans for the Guide use an evaluation tool based on these criteria. In this way, they can identify the most suitable artisans to include in the project.

Simple rules for a transparent selection

In which city does the artisan work?

In which country does the artisan practise?

What craft does the artisan practise?

What is the artisan’s Instagram page?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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