P
aparkone’s ceramic work has an architectural sensibility - through structure, stacking forms and volumes, whether to create a set of dishes, vases or sculptural objects. There is a strong sense of play and experimentation, seeing how shapes and vessels can work together to create multiple outcomes, as with his ‘Flora’ series, designed in part for ikebana floral arrangements. Other collections include “Amalfi”, a series of small blue and white plates with a hand drawn fish at the centre and ‘Babette’, inspired by the film, “Babette’s Feast”; ‘Anemone’ has a textured surface of raised dots and ‘Stones’ is a series in which he pressed stones into the clay, forming different shapes. He has also done a series of ‘Eggs’ for Ca Na Toneta.
For the last several years, Paparkone has been thinking about the meaning and importance of a souvenir. This term once held value, but it has lost its relevance in recent years, perhaps alongside mass travel and low-budget airlines. Overtime, this lost connection between having once sought out local craftspeople or specialised shops to purchase something meaningful as a reflection of your travel experience, has created a disconnect between the destination and the experience of travel itself. Might there be a way to create a souvenir for travellers of the now, and what could that be in Mallorca? Might this adjust some people’s perceptions of their experience on the island and create a shift in the approach to tourism, which is a huge concern right now island-wide? Paparkone explains, “I thought, what can I do? I can’t change things myself – I can be a part of the manifestations [against mass tourism], etc. but as a designer, I thought, let’s think about the souvenir – a small object that is a symbol of travel. How can we change the game – even on a small scale. With the shop – I would like to show people the richness of craft – of Mallorca and maybe elsewhere as well. I am living here and I am going to show you something special.” ‘A New Kind of Souvenir’ is an ongoing, collaborative project and workshop, which has included a series of illustrated postcards, a playful ceramic vase inspired by Mallorca's love of demoni’s, and a series around the textures and landscapes of the Mediterranean.
In 2023, Paparkone was the winner of the Mallorca Craft Prize in Artisan Promotion for his re-interpretation of Sa Gerreta, a moon shaped vase with distinguishing fretwork and performations linked to architecture and nature. The piece, made of red clay, was an exercise in equilibrium and asymmetry between the Baroque and minimalism, past and present. Paparkone has said about this project: ”Our intervention aims to highlight ancestral techniques in a contemporary context. An offering to the future, thanking those who have turned this technique into an art form.”
Paparkone is a ceramic artist, but he is also a storyteller. In each object, he blends stories and tradition within contemporary ideas, creating a body of work that invites you to experience something new.
www.paparkone.com
@paparkone
