AD: You’ve become a small local cult hit in Warsaw and beyond. What do you think draws people to your work?
Tosia: I think it’s the combination of quality, simplicity, and that certain something.
Agata: Actually, we’re not so small anymore – at least from my perspective. I think we might be the largest porcelain workshop you can still stumble upon on Tamka Street. But seriously, a lot has changed since we first started. Several large Polish porcelain factories have shut down, and many smaller, often one-person studios have sprung up in their place. Our space, at Tamka 45b in Warsaw, used to house a brushmaker’s workshop from just after the war until the 1990s. Later, it was home to a much-loved café called Szczotki Pędzle, and we’ve been here for the past eight years. Over that time, the character of the street has really changed. The glazier disappeared, the old market pavilions are gone, and in their place a hotel and the Chopin Museum have appeared.
What hasn’t changed is the constant soundscape of Wodiczko Square in front of the Music Academy – separated from us only by a massive wall at the back of our courtyard.
AD: What does independence mean to you in your practice? Has staying small been a conscious choice?
Tosia: I never wanted to work for someone else – creating my own workspace has always felt natural to me. I’ve considered various paths, and a few years ago I even had the chance to view a small ceramics factory for sale in Chodzież. But in the end, I’d rather focus on hand-building, developing new forms and painting, than overseeing other people’s work – which is what expanding the business would inevitably involve.
AD: Can you describe your studio space? What’s a typical day like at Fenek?
Tosia: It’s a beautiful old space that originally belonged to a brush maker. It still has the original tiled floors, a very high ceiling. We have limited space, so our workspace also serves as a display area. In the first room, there’s a work table, a large kiln, shelves for raw pieces, and shelves with finished items for sale. For me, a typical day is one where everything overlaps: Eljot, our caster, is pouring moulds, the girls are cleaning – smoothing the raw castings with water – someone’s loading the kiln, someone’s decorating pieces, and at the same time customers drop in and buy things. We have a great team, and I’m really grateful for the amazing work everyone does.
At the moment, our core team includes Agata and me, plus Aneta, Ola, Klara, Oliwia, Róża, Palina, Eljot the caster, and Zuzia, who keeps all the paperwork in order. Since going on maternity leave three years ago, I’ve been living in the Karkonosze mountains. I’m slowly building a prototype workshop there and trying to work remotely, but so far most of my time has been taken up with raising my daughter.