MMM STORIES: Juha Ceramics Studio

The silence of early morning and hands hugging a cup of fine-smelling coffee. Soup cooked with love for the whole family, which mother’s hands bring to the table in a large bowl on special occasions. The exchange of bowls between friends during a festive dinner. The gentle pull of a hand across the watery circle left on the table by a cold vase full of freshly gathered flowers. The gentle clink of the lid keeping the aroma of the herbs inside the teapot. The refined movement of elegant fingers putting on earrings. The careful unwrapping of a meticulously stored favourite festive decoration…

There are so many memories that bind us to the sound and feel of hands touching ceramics and we strive to preserve their fragility with tenderness. The author and at the same time guardian of this tenderness is Bojana Ristevski Mlaker, who began writing the story of the Juha ceramics studio at the end of 2017 in Ljubljana.

Only a stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre on Resljeva Ulica street, you can look into the carefully arranged workshop window, which finds itself in the charmingly old-fashioned company of a locksmith, seamstress, and a shop selling angels and candles. Hidden behind one of the nicest shop windows in Ljubljana is a workshop and exhibition space, imbued with creative enthusiasm. This is where ideas combine with the touch of clay and both carefully planned and spontaneous impressions become a product through a play of light and shadows that is fired for eternity, or at least for an unpredictable period of time until it is smashed.

What should you know about Juha Ceramics Studio?

Bojana Ristevski Mlaker designed the Juha ceramics studio soon after moving to Ljubljana from Belgrade as a space in which she wanted to create unique modern and usable ceramic products, while (following the example of her fellow designers from the Blatobran gallery in Belgrade) socialising with other Slovenian ceramics designers and sharing experiences and good moments. Although the community proved to be smaller than she expected, her studio has in recent years succeeded in hosting a number of artists who exhibited their work there in the form of pop-up studios, workshops, and elaborate courses.

Bojana currently shares the premises on Resljeva Ulica with the artist Maruša Mazej, who is also passionate about ceramics and with whom Bojana shares a love for the rays of sunlight that bathe the workshop and their products in warm, golden shades during the afternoon hours.

Get to know Bojana

Bojana is the soul of the Juha ceramics studio and talks about her products and the ideas she has yet to realise with beaming eyes. She designs truly wonderful products – from mugs, plates, bowls, and cups, to sushi sets, Christmas decorations, jewellery, and small chandeliers. Her collection also includes conceptual items, preferably made without prior planning. It is currently dominated by large teapots and the hand motif. She embeds this shape, together with techniques learnt while studying unique (sculptural) ceramics at Belgrade’s Faculty of Applied Arts, into items with practical value, which she often embellishes using screen printing with traditional Japanese paintings on rice paper.

She also makes usable ceramics for clients who want to furnish their homes with unique items, and for restaurants that want to include one-of-a-kind crockery as part of their concept. Bojana collaborated on the overall design for serving dishes made by Jakob Pintar at the prestigious San Pellegrino competition for the world’s best young chef, and her and Maruša’s creations will soon become a part of the culinary experience of chef Luka Košir from the restaurant Grič.

POP IN!

There is something wonderfully fragile and romantic about a female artist who wears large hats, grows vegetables for tasty soups in her garden, and makes her breakfast in a bowl that didn’t turn out right from her studio. Pop into her workshop, Bojana always appreciates company. Stop by for a moment, have a chat, book a private course, or choose your new favourite coffee cup.

© Suzan Gabrijan