Philia
Magazine

dAM Atelier is an experimental design studio founded by Paolo d’Alessandro and Marco Malgarini. Working between architecture and collectible design, the duo creates sculptural furniture and objects defined by bold geometric forms, structural exploration, and a refined minimalist aesthetic. Rooted in their architectural education at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, their work balances technical precision with artistic expression.

Donatas Žukauskas is a Lithuanian artist and designer whose practice bridges sculpture, design, and craftsmanship. Originally trained in graphic design at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, he spent more than two decades working across animation, advertising, and interior design before turning his focus to collectible objects and sculptural works.

Creating tables, lighting, vases, and sculptures, Žukauskas explores the beauty of imperfection through expressive forms and handcrafted processes. His work reflects a balance between functionality and artistic expression, resulting in pieces that are both poetic and deeply personal.

Elena Vasilantonaki is a ceramic artist based in Athens, Greece, whose practice explores the expressive possibilities of clay through sculptural and functional forms. Guided by a sensitivity to material, texture, and process, she creates works that celebrate the quiet beauty of the handmade.

Drawing inspiration from nature, everyday rituals, and the tactile qualities of clay, Vasilantonaki develops pieces that balance simplicity with a strong sense of presence. Her work reflects a contemplative approach to making, where form, surface, and imperfection come together to create objects that feel both timeless and deeply personal.

Herma de Wit is a Dutch artist based in Amsterdam, where she works between her city studio and a countryside retreat. Before dedicating herself fully to art in 1996, she built a career in fashion and founded her own label, HERMA DE WIT. Drawing on this technical background, her practice ranges from intimate works on paper to monumental sculptural installations, united by a deep sensitivity to material and form.

Nature lies at the heart of De Wit’s work. Through delicate prints of collected leaves, flowers, and branches, she explores the quiet poetry and spiritual resonance of the natural world. Her sculptures, often shaped from clay and earth, pay homage to the elemental origins of life and the enduring connection between humanity and the environment. Rooted in themes of growth, memory, and belonging, her work reflects a profound reverence for the forces that sustain and connect us.

Lupo Horiōkami (b. 1979, Venice) is an Italian artist and designer whose practice bridges tattooing, sculpture, and collectible design. After more than two decades dedicated to tattoo art, including extensive study in Japan, he developed a multidisciplinary approach shaped by Japanese aesthetics, Zen philosophy, and the concept of impermanence. His work explores the relationship between the body, object, and space, translating the visual language of tattooing into sculptural forms and functional design.

Guided by a deep understanding of craftsmanship, materiality, and perception, HORIŌKAMI creates works that balance artistic expression with function. Drawing from architecture, traditional making techniques, and the symbolic qualities of form, his practice investigates how objects communicate through their presence, inviting a contemplative dialogue between design, culture, and the human experience.