Hong Kong is currently the biggest centre of design in Asia and a gateway for western designers who want to break into eastern markets. Every year in December it hosts simultaneously two major international events: the Hong Kong Inno Design Tech Expo fair and the Business of Design Week conference. This year Poland will mark its presence during both events.
The IDT Expo is divided into the business-oriented Trade Hall and the conceptual Inspiration Hall. Poland appeared in the Inspiration Hall in 2012 with a small exhibition “Unpolished” curated by the Stalowa Wola Museum (the project was executed by the Polish Consulate in Hong Kong). This year the organisers offered 400 m² of premium space (also in the Inspiration Hall) for the exhibition “Must Have From Poland”, prepared by the curators of the biggest design festival in Poland - Lodz Design Week, Agata Połeć and Olga Łosiak. The exhibition presents everything from functional kitchenware to zany props for modern living. All pieces are recent designs by the flourishing generation of new Polish designers, each one of them currently in production en masse or independently, reflecting each designer's individual style, while also promoting the latest trends in local and global design.
The exhibition is split up into three thematic sections: furnishings made of natural materials, decorative design (mainly glassware and porcelain) and, the most fun category of all, design for kids - smart toys and creative books from designers who know very well how much aesthetics impact a young mind. The exhibition will be accompanied by a discussion panel on Polish design, moderated by the internationally known Zuzanna Skalska, the author of the award-winning books 360⁰ Trend Report, a member of VanBerlo and the inspirator of Poznań’s School of Form. The participants will include Polish designers of note such as Oskar Zięta.
Business of Design Week has been the flagship event of the Hong Kong Design Centre since 2002. Every year the biggest names in design from all over the world are invited to participate in this prestigious conference.
This year the organisers selected two Polish studios working internationally to give speeches about their work as well as the broader context of Polish design. The studios are: Fontarte (Magdalena & Artur Frankowski), which focuses on custom typography, editorial design and curating exhibitions, and Rygalik Studio (Tomek & Gosia Rygalik), concentrating on furniture design and branding.
The IDP Expo fair and the Business of Design Week are the Adam Mickiewicz Institute’s strategic partners in promoting Polish design in Asia, and the presence of Poland at both events is the first chance to present it so extensively in this region.
Designers and Producers on show at Inno Design Tech Expo:
Furniture:
- Jadwiga Husarska Chmielarz and Paged Design Team for Paged Meble
- Tomasz Augustyniak for Delivie i Noti
- Tabanda
- Marian Sigmund for Paged Meble
- Piotr Kuchciński for Noti
- Roman Modzelewski for Vzór
- Nikodem Szpunar for Paged Meble
- Malafor
- Marek Krajewski, Ondesign
Decorative Design:
- Marek Mielnicki for Porcelana Kristoff
- Arkadiusz Jaworski, Mops Design
- Justyna Medoń, Red Poppy
- Ewa Nowakowska, Małgorzata Gajewicz, Fabriqa
- Mamsam
- Karina Marusińska for mebleVOX
- Florabo
- Kosmos Project
- Bartek Mejor for Vista Alegre Atlantis
- Magda Pilaczyńska for Kristoff
- Kaja Kusztra for Kristoff
- Maria Jeglińska for Kristoff
- Marek Cecuła for Polskie Fabryki Porcelany „Ćmielów” and „Chodzież” S.A.
- Studio Colorofon for Bisk
Kids Design:
- Agnieszka Kwiecińska, Miuki
- Protein Design
- Trzy Myszy
- Laloushka
- Bartosz Mucha
- Grzegorz Cholewiak for Drache Und Baer
- Kuba Morkowski
- Katarzyna Turczyńska and Rafał Jarmołowski, Kaszubebe
- Małgorzata Drozdowska, Agnieszka Klimczak-Pyryt, Bogusław Saganowski, Miniio
- Robert Czajka
- od Rzeczy
Books:
Wszystko Gra, author: Anna Czerwińska-Rydel, graphic design: Marta Ignerska, Wydawnictwo Wytwórnia
- M.O.D.A, autor: Katarzyna Świeżak, illustrations by: Katarzyna Bogucka, publisher: Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry
- D.E.S.I.G.N., autor: Ewa Solarz, ilustracje: Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński, publisher: Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry
- „Siała Baba Mak”, Pan tu Nie Stał, illustrations by: Katarzyna Bogucka
- Żożo i Lulu, author: Elisabeth Duda, illustrations by: Agata Dudek, design: Małgorzata Frąckiewicz, Poważne Studio , Wydawnictwo Dookoła Świata
- Tosia i Pudełko, author: Agatha Loth Ignaciuk, publisher: Wydawnictwo Muchomor
- Kto to widział?, tekst: Izabela Koczkodaj, illustrations by: Agata Dudek, Małgorzata Nowak, publisher: Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry
- Mapy, text and illustrations: Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński, publisher: wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry
- Kto ty jesteś? , author: Joanna Olech, design: Edgar Bąk, publisher: Wydawnictwo Wytwórnia
- Kłopot, tekst i ilustracje: Iwona Chmielewska, typografia: Anna Niemierko, Wydawnictwo Wytwórnia
- Brud, tekst: Olga Wożniak, ilustracje: Patryk Mogilnicki , Wydawnictwo Hokus Pokus
- Lala Lolka , author: Kasia Bogucka , publisher: Wydawnictwo Ładne Halo
- Cyferki , author: Ola Woldańska, Jacek Cygan, publisher: Wydawnictwo Czerwony Konik
- Urodziny prosiaczka , author: Ola Woldańska, publisher: Wydawnictwo Czerwony Konik
Source: PAP. Based on original article on culture.pl edited by MS, 20.09.2013. Translated by AMG 30.11.2013