Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Occupation: Artist
Instagram: @piamariaraeder
Hometown and Studio Location: Munich, Germany
Describe what you make: I create functional sculptures dedicated to express my abstract interpretation of nature’s beauty and impact on us.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: With each new piece I create, I considered exactly this one at that very moment as the most important one, I imagine where it could be placed, how someone enjoys spending time with it and maybe even find inner peace by being reminded of something nature, something alive.
To me it was an enormous honor that one of my works received a place in the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and I was selected by the House of Dior as one of 12 international women artists to reimagine the ‘Miss Dior’ bottle.
Describe the problem your work solves: By creating pieces which are enchanting and draw attention, I want above all to remind the viewer of the wonders nature has to offer us and our responsibility to protect this treasure.
Describe the project you are working on now: The museum exhibition “Eccentric: Freedom of Aesthetics” at the Pinakothek der Moderne here in Munich will run until April 2025, and showcases three of my works, including a new large Stardust Bench.
What you absolutely have to have in your studio: Music. Each piece I create has its own song. Once I figure out which one it is, I listen to the song over and over again until the piece is finished.
What you do when you’re not working: Music. Each piece I create has its own song. Once I figure out which one it is, I listen to the song over and over again until the piece is finished.
Sources of creative envy: There are so many talents out there, I have admiration for: Wendell Castle, Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, Maria Callas, Cate Blanchett, David Bowie, Giacomo Puccini and all the people fighting for environmental protection, all of them are inspiring to me.
But my greatest inspiration is nature itself above all.
The distraction you want to eliminate: I try to avoid distractions. When I am at the studio, I am at the studio. Mail, calls, have to wait. Same situation with spending time with my friends.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-Rise Or Townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember Or Forget? Remember.
Aliens Or Ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark Or Light? Dark and Light. To me they are inseparable.
Portrait photography by Jann Averwerser and courtesy of the artist.
