Featuring designers Formsophy, Mark Bimer, Alexander Oniszh, and Kaska Harasym, ‘Second Skin’ explores material experimentation and unconventional processes which forge new dialogues in design, highlighting Poland’s growing influence on the global design stage.
‘Curated Connections – Chapter 2: Second Skin’ is the second in a series of three ‘Chapters’ presenting Polish design across London initiated by On & On Designs as part of the UK Poland Creative Season 2025. Launching at the London Design Festival within the Mayfair Design District, the exhibition showcases contemporary works reflecting the ingenuity and evolution of contemporary Polish design while highlighting the interconnection of ideas and materials. Bringing together four distinct perspectives on material reinvention, the exhibition offers a vision of design that embraces material potential and craftsmanship as carriers of a transformative narrative delivers an exemplary blend of experimentation and refined artisanal skills.
‘Second Skin offers a distinct yet complementary perspective on mindful making and material application’, says Lina Kanafani, Founder Mint Gallery, ‘we are delighted to be part of the UK Polish Creative with designers whose practises strongly align with our own material consciousness, sustainability and circular design values’.
‘Presenting Polish creatives at Mint Gallery as part of the UK- Poland Season emphasizes the relevance of our work within an international context’, says Anka Simone, co-founder On & On Designs. ‘It illustrates how Polish designers engage with global conversations in design while remaining grounded in their own perspectives and traditions’.
The UK/Poland Creative Season 2025 highlights Polish creativity, illuminating core methodologies blending material mastery with cutting-edge technology and innovation. Co-organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the British Council and Polish Cultural Institute the season is supported by the
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Poland celebrating the shared values of innovation, creativity and cultural dialogue. This second chapter continues the series celebrating Polish innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural exchange through design, showcasing the latest creations from the following Polish design studios.
FORMSOPHY
Founded by Alicja Prussakowska and Jakub Kijowski, Formsophy is a studio driven by a fascination with texture, material, and the stories they tell. Blending traditional and experimental techniques, their sculptural objects evoke a primeval aesthetic enriched with exquisite detail. Inspired by the fluidity of liquid aluminium, their casting process becomes a central part of the creative narrative—equal in importance to the final form. Describing their style as “romantic brutalism,” Formsophy balances rawness with refinement, boldness with subtlety, reflecting the interplay of their distinct sensibilities.
‘Nar’ by Formsophy explores the tension between raw and refined materials: a solid piece of beige onyx with copper undertones is set into cast aluminium. The stone’s translucency and fractured edges meet the metal’s textured surface, creating a quiet dialogue of opposites—warmth and cold, softness and rigidity. Though compact, the piece holds a commanding presence. ‘Saimaa’ is a one-of-a-kind aluminium console with a slender, irregular tabletop resting on solid elliptical legs. Its raw cast aluminium texture transitions into sleek, polished surfaces, blending primitivism with contemporary elegance. Embedded zebra quartz transforms the console into a sculptural, almost magical object.
Mark Bimer
Designer, artist and sculptor Mark Bimer explores the duality between minimalism and freedom of form through his deep interest with natural synthesis and its impact on materials. Bimer actively investigates the buoyancy of materials and how natural elements – rain, light, wind – shape their form and presence. Through a unique blend of aestheticism and experimentalism, Bimer reveals unexpected and innovative forms. At Mint, Bimer presents ‘CLOUD LAMP’ and ‘CLOUD PENDANT’, organic works that evoke an ethereal atmosphere and transform spatial perception. They create a profound interplay of light, form, and natural inspiration to engage and immerse the viewer.
Aleksander Oniszh
A self-taught furniture designer and maker of functional art pieces, Aleksander Oniszh is known for his intuitive approach to form and unconventional use of tools. His work is guided by intuition and a deep understanding of wood’s natural behaviour and structure.
Architecturally trained Oniszh brings spatial awareness to his designs, creating pieces that engage in a quiet dialogue with their surroundings. Since founding his studio in 2013, Oniszh has developed a practice rooted in craftsmanship, precision, and material honesty, producing minimalist pieces that carry the expressive marks of handwork and improvisation, shaped by a process that values the natural behaviour of wood. ‘Folly Chair’ is the result of the artist’s improvised gestures combined with mechanical tool oscillation and vibration imprints. Made from a single piece of timber that undergoes a series of reconfigurations, hidden symmetries and patterns are brought back to life while raw wooden elements are carved out of the piece. ‘Doodle Stool’ is an abstract object yet functional piece of furniture. Drawing on traditions of brutalism and folk art, it combines playfulness and simplicity.
Kaśka Harasym
Glass artist Kaśka Harasym is known for her innovative techniques and focus on sustainability, using a distinct approach that combines lampworking, fusing, and casting. Her practice centres on glass upcycling, which she describes as ‘recycling with soul’, where she transforms discarded materials into emotionally resonant pieces.
Her piece, Neocrystals, explores memory and transformation through reclaimed lead glass crystal vessels, in which she ‘talks to ghosts’. Inspired by damaged traditional crystal dishes she inherited from a close family member, the work reflects on grief, time and renewal, merging personal dialogue with traditional glassmaking. Harasym melted and reshaped the pieces into new forms resembling ghostly echoes of the past, stretched by time and given new life. The piece reflects on the passage of time and the emergence of the new from the old, serving as Harasym’s personal dialogue with the tradition of glassmaking.
Curated Connections is a series of Polish design interventions across London co-curated by On & On Designs. The series includes installations and talks at the Mint Gallery, Moroso London and a third venue to be announced.
‘Curated Connections – Chapter 2’ is produced and co-curated by On & On Design in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Poland, Polish Cultural Institute and the Let’s Art Foundation. The exhibition is public task financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland within the grant competition ‘Public Diplomacy 2024 – 2025 – the European dimension and countering disinformation’.
