Ana Kraš, photo by Quentin De Briey

Ana is a multitalented artist living in Belgrade, who loves to draw, take photos and design simple but stunning pieces of forniture. Last year she exhibited her works at Salone Satellite showcase in Milan under the umbrella of the Young Serbian Designers platform, since then her career is speeding up. Let’s follow her steps and see what’s in store!

Artwork by Ana Kraš

Your work develops through different media and techniques, what was your “first love”?
Mmm drawing, I think it’s the root of the tree. When you are a kid the easiest thing to make something is to grab a crayon and a piece of the paper. Later you have urge to make other things too, my first loves were felt-tip pens, crayons and Lego cubes.

Could you tell us something that, in your opinion, gave your career a twist?
I am still at the very beginning, but there was one point when it all got faster from then on: the exhibition at Milan furniture fair last year where I showed my new objects and luckily many people liked them. Then internet did its work, but it still makes me so confused. Internet is tricky because you never see people watching your work, you know they do follow, but you never see them while they watch so you never get it very serious. The act of presenting your work on web is very private and intimate, it’s you and your personal machine and your fingers, and so you never get the feeling there is million eyes watching what you upload. It’s quite impressive.

Hug chair, design by Ana Kraš

Where do you get your inspiration from? (things / person / place….)
I never have a clue of what is it but it must be emotions, that’s what moves us. Whether pleasant or bad emotions, but something needs to move you in one way or another to leave a trace in you, and in your work. Music moves me a lot. Friends, family, stories, colours, loves, nothing particular and all that together.

What did attract you about furniture design? How did you start?
I just decided to try to study that few days before the admission exam, and as I somehow passed, I found myself studying it. At the beginning I even wanted to change the course, to switch to illustration, but then I realized I quite liked it. I liked the ‘exact’ part, the technical part, and I liked the problem solving part. It thrills me in a different way, different from drawing or taking photos. It’s a longer process and there is much more to solve. Solving things makes me excited. It’s a beautiful process, at first a glimpse of something flashes in your head then some lines on the paper, then making it realistic in proportions and measurements, and logical in the construction and material use, and then making it for real, dealing with people who make it, and then it’s there and you can walk around it and touch it, and use it, and other people can use it and love it, or hate it. It’s there to serve. Useful objects are more subtle than art pieces because they are not important themselves, they are there for you.There is nothing pretentious to make things people need. I remember how shocked I was at first to see the first object I made as a prototype, a hug chair. Imagine what feeling architecture gives you, as a creator: people walks through a space that you created. It’s beautiful.

Ksilofon clothing rack, design by Ana Kraš

Hive lamp, design by Ana Kraš

What are your favorite fanzines and magazines?
I am finding it a bit difficult to follow nowadays, too many pretty printed stuff but all pretty much the same. It doesn’t hold my attention so I don’t really follow. I like Apartmento, and I think Fantastic Man is nice.

Is there a medium / technique that you haven’t tried yet that you’d like to experiment in the future?
I would love to do oil on canvas, but for that I need the time I don’t have at the moment and also video.

Photo by Ana Kraš

What are your favorite fanzines and magazines?
I am finding it a bit difficult to follow nowadays, too many pretty printed stuff but all pretty much the same. It doesn’t hold my attention so I don’t really follow. I like Apartmento, and I think Fantastic Man is nice.

Is there a medium / technique that you haven’t tried yet that you’d like to experiment in the future?
I would love to do oil on canvas, but for that I need the time I don’t have at the moment and also video.

Did you leave your country during the war? In which way this event influenced your own work?
No, I was there during the war, it’s not so easy to leave during the war. Well, it was not a pleasant experience of course, but you get used to growing up with that and once it becomes reality, it’s not so dramatic somehow. Finally, turns out to be so easy for humans to get used to new conditions, and live normally, just with some limits. And it’s beautiful to learn that skill. Being blocked and not being able to travel for so many years was one of the worst parts development-wise, but I was lucky, it kind of stopped in time for me, the generations before me were really screwed. Imagine being locked in a blocked country with the war from 17 to 27 for example. I was like 14 when it started getting better so I still had some time to move around. I always say there’s a good side of that, if you get used to less, maybe you can do more with less.

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever travelled to?
It’s always so hard for me to make a choice. Each trip is a specific experience. I liked Big Sur drive a lot, I loved high landscapes hiking on Dolomites.

Who is the woman you’d like to see featured/interviewed here?
I picked Miranda July.

www.anakras.com