Residents

DESIGNER, NEW YORK/VENEZUELA
Rodolfo Agrella imbues his one-of-a-kind design concepts with bold colour, deft composition and captivating contrast. His New York-based eponymous design studio, RADS, pulls from a vast array of resources and references when conceiving holistic design concepts, synthesising and distilling diverse point inspirations and requirements into playful, seemingly effortless, yet sophisticated projects.

RADS ultimate goal is to make something complex appear simple. RADS was founded in 2015 as a way for this team to encompass its different endeavours and the various typologies it treats: art and creative direction; spatial interventions, products and graphic design, for renowned manufacturing companies, particulars and cultural institutions.

For Rodolfo, colour and light are critical tools to enhance and can go a long way in facilitating an emotional response from the end user, tapping into a resourceful sensibility; one forged out of Agrella’s upbringing in Caracas, Venezuela. While the capital's rich tradition of modernism has greatly influenced the architect and the studio’s bold, sophisticated yet dynamically joyful aesthetic, his training in Milan continues to influence the studio’s ability to carefully fold-in eclectic elements. RADS has garnered numerous accolades, including the prestigious German Design Award - Special Mention and a pre-selection in the Hublot Design Award, and his inclusion in the Salone Internazionale del Mobile’s Collezione Permanente in Italy, to name a few.

PRODUCT & TEXTILE DESIGNER, FRANCE
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Product and textile designer Victoire de Brantes is the founder of VSB_Atelier, a multidisciplinary studio based between Paris and Provence with close links to India. A graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven, she is driven by a passion for materials and colours as a means of connecting with everyday environments.

Her practice explores the dialogue between craft, material and territory, creating “sensitive cartographies” through fieldwork, archival research and collaborations with artisans in embroidery, weaving, glassmaking and stone carving, creating from the reality of the arts and craftsmanship’s atlas. She has developed collaborative protocols with craft communities, using design as a tool for communications and empowerment.

Career highlights include the Pompei Chair embroidered with Lesage Intérieurs, now in the permanent collection of le19M (Chanel), and embroidered stained-glass panels exhibited at Villa Noailles in 2024. Combining material research with poetic storytelling, Victoire continues to expand her practice at the intersection of heritage crafts, collectible design and site-specific research.

DESIGNER, NETHERLANDS
studionoff.com
Daniel Garber’s practice is rooted in an investigative approach through which he examines how aesthetic cultures are shaped by historical, political, social and environmental processes. He considers objects not only as functional but also as embodiments of values - reflecting the processes, narratives and systems that enabled their creation. His work draws from ancient, traditional and cultural knowledge to reshape relationships between people, place and production.

In 2023, he graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven, where he and his partner Amalia Magril completed a joint master’s in the Geo-Design department. In 2024, the duo co-founded Studio Noff, a research-driven design studio based in Eindhoven. In their multidisciplinary practice, they use design as a form of inquiry, exploring production systems, supply chains and material cultures to promote more holistic modes of production and consumption. Studio Noff’s research informs both their commissioned and self-initiated projects, earning international recognition.

Recently, the duo was invited to a three-month residency at Fondation d'entreprise Martell in Cognac, where they developed a project exploring the resources of the Charente region. Their innovative material is now part of the collections at both the Material Resource Center at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Future Materials Bank of the Jan van Eyck Academy.

ARTIST, CZECHIA
tadeaspodracky.com
Tadeáš Podracký is an artist working at the intersection of sculpture and design. His practice consists of complex material experiments that push - and often cross - the boundaries of design into the realm of fine art. The resulting works take the form of intricate sculptural pieces whose surfaces mask their original function, a hybridity created through processes of deconstruction and reassembly that leave purpose only implied.

By combining intuitive handcraft, experimental technologies, and narrative structures, Podracký explores how form can carry meaning beyond utility, offering glimpses into parallel realities where stories and materials intertwine. His work has been presented internationally at leading fairs including Design Miami, FOG Design+Art San Francisco, PAD London/Paris, TEFAF, Milan Design Week, Artorama, and Art Cologne, as well as in institutions such as the Het Nieuwe Instituut, Triennale Milano, and MUDAC. He collaborates with Sarah Myerscough Gallery in London and has also exhibited with Side Gallery in Barcelona and Polansky Gallery in Prague.

Alongside his independent practice, Podracký leads the Department of Concept - Object - Meaning at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague. He holds an MA in Contextual Design from the Design Academy Eindhoven and an MA from the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, and has also studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.

PRODUCT & FURNITURE DESIGNER, ROTTERDAM
mariatyakina.com
Maria Tyakina is a product and furniture designer whose artistic practice centres around exploring physicality and reimagining habitual ways of viewing everyday objects. Based in Rotterdam, Maria studied Interior Architecture and Furniture Design at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Her work often investigates themes such as time, gravity and landscape, shaped by the interplay between utility and emotion. She approaches construction not only as a matter of efficiency but also as an opportunity for playfulness and experimentation.

Working with a wide range of materials including wood, stone, metal, glass, and ceramics, Maria frequently challenges expectations by introducing softness and fluid gestures into materials typically perceived as hard. She places a strong emphasis on natural, locally sourced and reclaimed materials.

In addition to creating objects herself, Maria often collaborates with craftspeople and technicians. This collaborative process allows her to express her themes across diverse materials, while also enabling her to engage with different methods of making and co-creating. Maria’s work has been showcased internationally at design events and institutions including Milan Design Week, Rotterdam Design Biennale, Collectible, London Design Fair, Cube Design Museum, Objects with Narratives Gallery, Caselli and Side Gallery Casavells.

DESIGNER, KRAKÓW
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Born in 1982, Zofia Sobolewska Ursic lives and works in Krakow. She studied architecture at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (Die Angewandte) under the guidance of Wolf D. Prix, Zaha Hadid and Hernan Diaz Alonso. In her artistic practice, the artist works with diverse materials such as wood, glass, metal, stone and straw, exploring their properties and meanings. She mastered the art of straw marquetry at the prestigious Ateliers Lison de Caunes in Paris, training with the granddaughter of André Groult, a master of the technique during the Art Deco period.

In September 2025, during Warsaw Gallery Weekend, the artist will present her first solo exhibition in Poland, organised by Craftica Gallery, marking a significant milestone in her career. Earlier this year, the gallery presented her works at NOMAD St. Moritz and at Salone del Mobile in Milan, and in November will show her works at The Salon Art + Design in New York, further enhancing Zofia’s international recognition.