Close Friends with: Tatiana Brodatch

Tatiana Brodatch worked as an architect until 2013, when she enrolled at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan and turned to art. For years she has shaped people out of plasticine, first as the actors of her stop-motion videos, then as sculptures, and her figures have become lamps with Seletti. In this "Close Friends" interview, she talks about Milan, her studio routine and My Friends and Family, her 19 ceramic portraits of the people closest to her.

Tatiana Brodatch on plasticine, clay and Milan

Tatiana Brodatch

Tatiana Brodatch

Tatiana Brodatch

Introduce yourself to the CASAWI community: what drives you? What’s your artistic vision, and what sets you apart from the crowd?

Tatiana Brodatch: My name is Tatiana Brodatch. I used to be an architect until 2013, when I pivoted to art and enrolled at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.

I’ve been working with plasticine for many years, making people.

It all started with a stop-motion animation. Then the plasticine sculptures became more than just the actors, but for many years I made videos for all my projects and exhibitions.

My work has always been about people. About intimate relationships with ourselves and others. Sometimes more about sex, sometimes about solitude, but always about love.

Over time, I started experimenting with other materials. Bronze, resin, and now clay, which has become my favourite. It’s fast and spontaneous, and I love working this way.

I continue to make people. I always work with live models. And now, finally, I’ve created a project made entirely of portraits of my friends and family.

City inspirations: how has your city influenced your artistic path? Share how its streets, culture and energy have molded your work.

Tatiana Brodatch: I first came to Milan in 1999, as an architecture exchange student. I loved the city. Milan had so much to inspire a young architect, designer, or anyone creative. Its ancient history, its glorious 1960s, its shop windows, its fashion, its Design Week, the elegance of the locals.

Later, as an artist, I got involved in design and fashion. A very Milanese path. I started collaborating with different brands and creatives. And this experience has really influenced the way I design.

I love art in everyday life. In homes, in interiors. I love it when art hangs on the wall, but also when it lies on the floor or stands on a table. I love wearing art.

With the design brand Seletti, my sculptures became lamps. And with Casa Ornella, which I’ve been collaborating with for Salone del Mobile for five years, I’ve made plates, a rug, wallpaper and much more.

Collectible design is a direction I’m very interested in. And I think that’s entirely because of the place where I live.

Creative process: what fuels your creativity? Whether it’s a ritual, a muse or a moment of clarity, we’re keen to learn.

Tatiana Brodatch: I’m the kind of person who needs a lot of space and solitude.

I think, or rather I feel, that “inspiration” will come looking for me in the studio. So I go there every day, as if I had a real job.

Most of the time, I work on something with a deadline. Or I clean. Or I simply procrastinate, flipping through books or even watching Netflix. But I understand that this is also part of the process. My studio is a safe space for me. I literally leave all my problems and anxiety at the door. Once I’m there, I only think about my work.

I read about artists and listen to podcasts about them. I feel these are my people. Their stories give me a sense of calm and patience. And the indulgence to follow my sometimes unconventional way.

I love collaborations. I love dialogue. I love having a problem to solve, a brief to respond to. That’s probably the architect in me. It pushes me to explore new subjects, techniques and materials. To create something completely different. And, I suppose, to grow.

Tatiana Brodatch

City lifestyle and art: how have the places you have lived in influenced your career and work?

Tatiana Brodatch: Different cities affect me in different ways.

New York unleashes me. It makes me bolder and braver. London feeds me with great art.

In Milan, I want to make collectible design. A chair, a vase, a lamp, a bag...

In the countryside, I want to draw.

In cold countries, I want to eat and drink. In warm countries, I want to dance and drink.

I love warmth.

I dream of starting to paint someday and going to live in Sicily.

My Friends and Family, Tatiana Brodatch’s ceramic portraits

Tatiana Brodatch

Latest or upcoming projects: give us a glimpse into your current endeavors and what lies ahead on your creative journey.

Tatiana Brodatch: Right now, I have an exhibition called My Friends and Family. It’s a series of 19 ceramic portraits. Probably my most personal project so far. It will be on until Christmas.

I’ve always worked from life, with models. Friends, relatives, sometimes professional models posing for my different projects. But this is the first time I’ve decided to make an entire series of portraits. And to tell a story about each person who sat for me.

I also wanted to place every sculpture on a pedestal. A symbolic way of emphasising the importance of our close relationships.

The exhibition is taking place in my former studio at Via Agudio 1 in Milan.

I’m also preparing another project, again somewhere between art and fashion. It’s a collaboration with another artist that will be presented in Los Angeles in February.

I want to travel more. Make more interactive projects. Maybe more live performances.

I want more dialogue. More exchange. More people.

Tatiana Brodatch