Philia
Magazine
Hyungshin Hwang 5 Picks From Philia Collection
Hyungshin Hwang is a Seoul-based designer whose work explores memory, materiality, and structure through furniture and objects. Trained in woodworking and furniture design at Hongik University, where he earned both his BFA and MFA, Hwang develops a restrained visual language that translates everyday experiences and emotional narratives into carefully crafted forms.
Central to his practice is the ongoing Layered Series, first introduced at the Korea International Art Fair in 2007. Through modular construction and layered surfaces, the series reflects the accumulation of time, memory, and lived experience. Hwang’s work has been exhibited internationally at Milan Design Week, DMY Berlin, Design Days Dubai, and Art Beijing, and presented at institutions including La Triennale di Milano and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation.
Simone Fanciullacci Picks From Philia Collection
Simone Fanciullacci is an Italian designer whose work spans collectible furniture, lighting, and product design. Based in Milan, he combines a strong industrial design background with a sculptural sensibility, creating objects distinguished by refined geometries, material experimentation, and understated elegance.
After founding the design studio 4P1B, Fanciullacci established his independent practice in 2017 while continuing to teach at the Politecnico di Milano School of Design. His work has received international recognition, including the iF Design Award, the Good Design Award, and an Honourable Mention at the Compasso d’Oro, reflecting his commitment to innovation, craftsmanship, and timeless design.
Isabel Moncada Picks From Philia Collection
Isabel Moncada is a Mexican designer and artist whose practice centers on sculptural lighting and collectible objects. Based in Guadalajara, she has spent more than three decades exploring traditional craft techniques, developing her own methods, mechanisms, and processes to transform materials into works that unite functionality with artistic expression.
Originally active in the art world during the 1990s, Moncada’s practice evolved from sculpture into a multidisciplinary approach that combines design, engineering, and craftsmanship. Inspired by organic forms, asymmetry, and material experimentation, she works with techniques including lost-wax casting, blown glass, porcelain modeling, and metal forging. Her creations blur the boundaries between utility and art, resulting in pieces distinguished by their sculptural presence, technical complexity, and expressive character.
Marta Dervin
Marta Dervin is a Polish-born ceramic artist based in the Ardèche mountains of southern France, where she creates sculptural vessels and collectible objects shaped by archaeology, geology, and the surrounding natural landscape. Trained in Mediterranean archaeology, she founded her ceramics studio in 2018 after years studying ancient ceramic traditions, transforming her fascination with excavated artefacts into a contemporary sculptural practice. Working primarily with stoneware, porcelain, and glazes developed from wild rocks and natural minerals, Dervin creates works that bridge history, nature, and material experimentation.
Guided by a deep connection to the earth, Dervin’s practice explores the passage of time, the fragility of civilization, and the enduring force of nature. Through tactile textures, restrained forms, and a minimalist aesthetic rooted in craftsmanship, her ceramic pieces evoke weathered artefacts reclaimed by the landscape, creating a quiet dialogue between past and present, architecture and geology.
Square in Circle Picks From Philia Collection
Square in Circle is a London-based design studio founded by Alesia Sirokina in 2020, specializing in collectible lighting that balances geometric precision with sculptural movement. Inspired by dance, architecture, and the interplay of symmetry and asymmetry, the studio creates refined lighting pieces that evoke a quiet sense of motion through minimalist forms and carefully considered materials.
Drawing on Sirokina’s background in interior architecture and design, Square in Circle combines technical expertise with meticulous craftsmanship. Each piece reflects a harmonious balance between aesthetics, engineering, and timeless elegance.
