Alex Proba's Bold Designs Are A Spark Of Joy In A Challenging World
No two days are ever the same for multidisciplinary artist and designer Alex Proba. One day, she could be on-site painting an intricate mural, while the next day, she could be designing a new rug or building a sculpture. The life of Proba is unexpected and unpredictable, just the way she likes it.
Growing up in Germany, design was never really in the cards for Proba, as she was born into a family of doctors. It wasn't until high school, when the artist resided with a host family in Ohio during an exchange program, that Proba began to take the arts more seriously.
"[The family] was really into design and art," Proba tells Hunker. "The mother used to be a designer, and they were [the] opposite of my family. We went to museums and all these places my parents didn't have much interest in. That year, I spent a lot of time making things, and when I returned to Germany, I started taking [my curiosity] more seriously and [began] painting."
Studio Proba
Due to the pressures that coincide with being a teenager, Proba still tried out medical school but realized quickly that it wasn't the path for her, dropping out after just one year. She went on to study spatial design at Akademie Mode und Design in Hamburg, Germany, and then contextual design at Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Proba's endeavors took her to the Big Apple, where she explored brand work with companies such as Mother New York, Nike, and Google before beginning her own studio. She now lives in Portland, Oregon, with her partner and dog.
With such bold designs that focus on shape, the designer steers clear of Pinterest, Instagram, and other platforms to draw inspiration. Proba looks to literature, forms in nature, and florals for influence so as not to be overstimulated by what everyone else is doing online.
Studio Proba
"Obviously, we are all inspired, and I still look at Instagram at night to be aware of what's there, but I still try to actively not look at what's trendy," says Proba. "I don't try to follow trends, even though my work is pretty trendy right now. It's an ongoing battle trying to be ahead of the curve. It's the world we live in."
The designer works with artisans all over the world to produce her iconic pillows, towels, and rugs, but utilizes local makers for larger pieces, like furniture. After sketching an idea and concocting a 3D prototype, Proba leaves her trust in the hands of nearby creators to produce the physical pieces.
There really isn't a project to which the artist will say no, including designing swimming pools. Despite being a structure people don't typically see as a canvas, Proba has transformed quite a few pools with striking colors and compelling patterns. As the design looks different without water versus with water, it's like the pool has two lives — something Proba finds especially intriguing. She is currently working on more pool designs but this time with tiles. Unlike an ordinary mosaic, the designer is making each tile a different shape without any straight lines.
Studio Proba
You won't find any straight lines in most of Proba's work, but you will find lots of color, which is something the artist truly embraces.
"People used to be very scared of color, maybe not in the design world as much, but my mom used to be really afraid of color, and now she embraces it more in the house," explains Proba. "People realized that color can be added but can easily be removed again. It doesn't have to be permanent."
Studio Proba
The artist has a lot of exciting projects on her plate for this year, including a new line of furniture for an Italian company (but can't share which one just yet) that is set to launch during Milan Design Week. As larger furniture lines can be a challenge for a small business due to production costs, the designer is eager to finally be working on something more extensive.
"The goal with all my work is to create joyful moments and happiness, even if it's just for a second in that person's life," says Proba. "Joy is a big word for me. I think being in a world that is not always joyful, especially during the pandemic, it [is] very important to me to create something that is positive. As long as that comes through, I feel like I've succeeded in my mission."