In the Frame: Ana Kraš

What are you working on currently?

Ana Kraš: ‘I recently launched my brand Teget, which offers objects for home as well as wearables. I’m currently working on many new product developments and a few collaborations. Some projects are to do with paper, some with wood carving techniques used in the past, some with textiles, and I have to jump from one to another, multiple times a day, which is really fun. I’m also editing my new photography work. It’s been a very busy summer, but in a way, I’ve been enjoying these projects more than I would a vacation right now.’

What ritual or routine keeps you going? 

AK: ‘I don't have much of a routine apart from making sure that I have enough time to myself every day. For me, solitude is essential.’

What work of art made you see things differently?    

AK: ‘I remember being in high school and encountering an image of Picasso’s Guernica for the first time, accompanied by an essay providing the context. It left a big impression on me. It was so different from anything I had seen before. Its complexity, scale, and strength really tell an emotional story.’

Which artist or designer do you wish you knew more about?

AK: ‘I’m interested in the work of many architects. My taste is very diverse, from Tadao Ando to Oscar Tusquets. I’m curious to read about the spaces they grew up in and how that informed what they seek in spaces they create.

‘I love many projects of the late Ricardo Bofill — whom I had a great pleasure to meet and interview — as well as Alvar Aalto and Mihailo Janković, the latter of whose works are some of my favorite buildings in Belgrade, my hometown. I also love the language of Frank Lloyd Wright and the cardboard pillar architecture of Shigeru Ban.

‘I’m also curious to read the thoughts of architects whose work I do not like. Different points of views, in general, but about space in particular, I find very interesting.’

Last gift you gave?

AK: ‘A small bag of lavender I got for a friend on Korčula Island in Croatia. The fabric was a beautiful tartan with black base.’

Your favorite view, anywhere in the world? 

AK: ‘I am happiest on a scooter behind my partner, watching the landscape move and change at the perfect speed. It can be anywhere, but I love the Adriatic coast a bit more than other places in the world because of its pines and olives.’

Most memorable show you’ve seen this year?

AK: ‘I must say the most taken I felt was seeing the big Rothko show in Paris. Seeing his entire body of work in person left me so impressed. You leave the museum and you immediately start missing the show.’

Congratulations on the launch of Teget. What’s the inspiration? And what’s the must-have piece from the first collection?

AK: ‘Thank you. This project is the most personal thing I’ve ever done. It really feels like a part of me. I wanted to create objects that don't belong to trends but rather translate my taste and design approach in a direct and honest way. The lamps are made by me, so they feel the most intimate. The light of each one is a unique experience. I use paper to make the collages used in the shade panels, paired with a brushed aluminum structure.’

Top picks from Christie’s right now?

AK: ‘I’ve always loved busts from different eras throughout history, and I recently saw a set of four janiform busts from the late 17th or 18th century offered for private sale. I love the idea of a person being portrayed this way. When I was a student, I did a few busts myself, not in stone but in plaster, and it was perhaps the most pleasant and gratifying creation experience of my life. Making an identical relief of someone’s face that can be touched, creating the eyes that suddenly look at you, out of something that initially looks like nothing is something very special.

‘I’m fascinated by paintings that feature the life of a table — all the nature morte and voluptuous fruits, both colorful and dark. This still life by Chagall is very joyful. I imagine it in a simple interior, hanging on a clean white wall, next to a black dining table, with boiled eggs lying on a simple plate.

‘I like the shape of Hi Candida, a David Smith sculpture from 1961. And I love black and red together. I use it often in my work.’