“They are all pieces of me in a way”: Rising Swedish artist Joakim Ojanen introduces us to his covetable ceramic characters

Entering Joakim Ojanen's studio in the industrial area of Bredäng, Stockholm, I am greeted by the artist himself. The space is filled with expressive sculptures and paintings of his own making. “We are five artists sharing this space. In the kitchen we have ceramic kilns,” he says. A true local, Ojanen has worked in this studio for six years and lives just a 15-minute walk away. “The doors and elevator size is the biggest limitation for me since the studio is on the second floor,” he says. “Except that, it suits me really well.”

Large paintings lean against the walls and the floor is crowded with vibrant sculptures portraying figures in various states – dancing, crying, or simply staring quite seriously. Most of his ceramic creations wear distinctive headwear, from wizard hats to small leaves, which Ojanen finds essential for character creation. "It is very difficult to create a figure without one of these headpieces," he says.

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Shorts are another consistent element in his sculptures; he feels long pants would not fit the overall aesthetic. Observing Ojanen in his red shorts and worn baseball cap, the resemblance between the artist and his creations is unmistakably clear.

“They are all pieces of me in a way,” he says, smiling at the small versions of himself scattered throughout the studio. “I don’t really have a clear idea of how the sculptures are going to look when I start. The characters appear in the process and for every bit of new clay a new personality crystallises.”

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His journey into the arts began with graffiti in his teenage years. Later came other art forms, including drawing and animation. He dove into the digital world, making animations for short movies and music videos. But his path took a radical turn in 2009 when he felt the need for a new challenge, prompting his application to Konstfack, Stockholm’s leading school of applied arts. A few years later, looking for a new pastime, he enrolled in an open ceramics studio not connected to the school. Here, he began transforming his drawings into sculptures.

The early sketches from his time at Konstfack evolved into the acclaimed three-dimensional sculptures now recognised throughout Scandinavia and internationally, from Hong Kong and Los Angeles to Tokyo and New York. Ojanen’s work, celebrated for its unique blend of humour, expressionism, and comic book aesthetics, draws viewers into a captivating, albeit bizarre, world. “I see the characters I make as some kind of self-portraits or even a diary. They are made in the moment and the postures and moods of the character often reflect how I feel or what I think about," Ojanen says, offering insight into the deeply personal nature of his work.

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With exhibitions planned across the globe, including a solo exhibition at Ruttkowski;68 gallery in Düsseldorf and participation in the Market Art Fair in Stockholm, Ojanen continues to explore themes of interaction, hierarchy, and connection through his new series of sculptures. “The new series of sculptures I’m working on for Market is playing with shapes and limbs that bend and twist like snakes around each other,” he says. “It’s about the meeting between people and how they interact with each other, the hierarchy when we are together and erotic overtones.”

Ojanen’s ceramic sculptures represent a way for him to show us who he is. Each work tells a bit of his story, showing parts of his life and how he sees the world, allowing access to parts of the artist himself. "When the studio is filled with pieces I really feel like I’m home,” he says. “It’s like my thoughts and feelings become physical and that relaxes me."