Katrin Olina: Inspirational Breeze From Up North

8 Sep 2008 Category: Illustration, Worldwide

Katrin Olina: Inspirational Breeze From Up North

They bite! Icelandic Katrin Olina's little monsters for ART PACK sneakers for Fornarina, autumn/winter 2006-07.

Being in Reykjavik during summer time brings the magic of days, which seem to last forever — switching between evening and morning dawn without ever becoming dark. In this weird light we searched for an Icelandic artist who could represent her homeland perfectly: Katrin Olina Petursdottir is illustrating her own kingdom of strange trolls and other characters on interior and delightful designer objects. We’re sure you’ve encountered them somewhere before… So, PingMag met her in the trendy bar of 101 Hotel, before going on a stroll through some stores…

Written by Beatrice Fankhauser

… and it’s on this tour that the soul of Iceland’s capital is revealed: Everybody seems to know each other and there is a cosy atmosphere, even on the busy downtown street Laugavegur, where one trendy store follows the next and people gather around sidewalk coffee tables this Friday afternoon.

More greenery! Graphics for Icelandic Parki store and offices, 2007.

A very verdant meeting space, from the Parki office, 2007.

We stop by the Belle Ville store, a tiny concept shop with an emphasis on cutting edge men’s fashion, limited edition skateboards and Medicom toys. Among the collections, the distinctive two-dimensional universe of Katrin Olina stands out: helmets and snowboards, silk scarf or tiny porcelain dishes — all animated by the hauntingly charming Olina characters such as the Grinning Ghost, Trumpet Head, the Mermaid and plenty of other strange creatures.


Poster for the 41st Montreux Jazz Festival, 2007…

… and an extra sweet silk scarf from the Katrin Olina LTD Edition.

“Inspiration for my creations comes from different cultural backgrounds, as I have lived in various places in Asia and Europe,” says Katrin. However, with a distinctive local flavour, we might add. Or not? What makes the Reykjavik art and design scene special, Katrin?
“Iceland, with its wild nature, can offer real mental and spiritual freedom. Kids grow up playing freely outside which influences us in a great way. Also in Iceland, we aren’t burdened by a heavy history of art and design. Not much has been done here in the past, so it leaves a large space to fill by creative people!”

Woah! Nice! Limited edition snowboards manufactured for Katrin Olina’s exhibition at Icelandic i8 Gallery, 2006.

Sounds like a true playground! And indeed, Katrin’s rich imagination seems to have its roots in nature, dreams and mythology and she builds her mysterious universe on an intuitive journey through the subconscious, as she says. Explain, please!
“Our subconscious is like a bank of images and emotions. Our dreams are postcards from our subconscious. I am dedicating my working life to the exploration of these realms and finding ways to translate them visually into reality. My graphic language lies between art, illustration and graphic design. It has established itself in the last years and become a unique visual universe that translates to a wide range of products, designs, editorials and interior spaces,” she says.


Oh, what a tasty design! For the Fornarina summer 2007 fashion line…

… as well as this delicately patterned must-have from the same summer 2007 line!

And how does Katrin approach a new project?
“With an open mind, I love to work on concepts and ideas, I love research and to find out how things can link up in a magical way. But I also work in a fluid non-predetermined way, just let things happen. That’s how real magic can happen. For me the creative process is the best thing in a project, that’s where I get my real buzz from.”

Beauty from within: interior for a cosmetic surgery clinic in Taipei, 2005. Interior design by Michael Young, graphic art for walls and floor by Katrin Olina.

For example, this summer, Zenses Bar in Hong Kong is about to open its doors, where the interior concept is signed Katrin Olina: “I have transformed their interior by creating a graphic piece that covers the whole of the interior, from walls, ceilings to floors,” she explains.
“Design, that’s where I have done my first steps in the creation field. First as Industrial Design graduate at ESDI in Paris, that was followed by a stint at Philippe Starck’s studio in Paris and Ross Lovegrove’s in London. In 1998 I began a series of high-profile collaborations with industrial designer Michael Young,” Katrin says.

Happy Tree family: coat stand “Tree,” 2001. In collaboration with Michael Young.

One result would be her fairytale coat hanger tree for Swedese, a hugely popular product that has become one of the icons of Swedish contemporary design. However, to avoid being easily categorised, she has focused more on two-dimensional design lately. “I’ve been working in design for many years and have worked closely with other designers and companies in many parts of the world which has given me a foundation to step up and do my own thing. Design is such a varied field, you can go in any direction you want. Most importantly, you have to know what you want to do and stick to it. It is important to be yourself and follow your own vision if you want to make a difference in the creative world.” True. Do you have any role model in the design and art universe?
“No, but I admire the people who go out there and follow their vision and never give up, be it in arts, sports, science or whatever. These people give me energy to carry on.”

Furious rabbits for porcelain manufacturer Rosenthal.

Yes! Seems to have worked out pretty well for her — there is lots to come in the next few months:


Another Icelandic monster cutie! For the Fornarina LTD summer 2007 line.

Currently Katrin is collaborating with an Icelandic industrial company specialising in concrete to create a collection of garden furniture as part of ‘H100′ project. At the end of this month, Olina will be making a large graphic installation at the Reykjavik Art Museum; the show will be produced by 3M, the manufacturer of tape and film. Then it’s Tallin Design Week, and after that she will launch her first vinyl toy, Trumpeter, at this year’s 100% Design Tokyo (where she did a 15-metre installation in the VIP area last year.)

Lastly, any crazy project for the future?
“Yes, lots of them. One is to make an animated film of my visual universe.”

Thanks, Katrin Olina, we are waiting for your animation! And looking forward to seeing you at 100% Design Tokyo in November!

66 Comments

  1. Inspirational breeze indeed! Well done, Love the coat stands. The porcelain rabbits are great, but at the same time they slightly scare me!

    Posted by: Andrei Sarusi on September 9th, 2008 at 1:42 am

  2. Nothing Special! yawn

    Posted by: Itomi on September 9th, 2008 at 1:46 am

    • it says KATRIN OLINA .
    • i have noted this name into my memory.
    • she has an interesting extravaganza art humor .
    • i hope in future we may work together .
    • good work and keep on it .
    • and enjoy the life .

    Posted by: lady parvati on September 9th, 2008 at 5:23 am

  4. Beautiful, especially love the space installations……

    Posted by: Nana Antoniades on September 9th, 2008 at 6:34 am

  5. Beautiful and inspirational.

    “Our dreams are postcards from our subconscious.”…what a lovely way to put it

    I wish I could afford to buy one of those bags!

    Posted by: Chibs on September 9th, 2008 at 7:45 am

  6. i love the interior! Din expect it to be a plastic surgery clinic…looks more like a cool chill out place!

    Posted by: tisu girl on September 9th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

  7. what kind of material do they use on the floor art?

    Posted by: eugene on September 10th, 2008 at 2:26 am

  8. wow it’s really cool! love the works XD

    Posted by: berni on September 10th, 2008 at 12:04 pm

  9. Dépaysant… vu de la France profonde ! Donne envie de se mettre au snowboard.

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