CTRLZAK is a hybrid studio that integrates diverse disciplines and forms of expressions.
Founded by artists and designers Katia Meneghini and Thanos Zakopoulos, the studio’s creations are based on extensive research into humanity’s cultural history and the natural world that surrounds us in order to create a meaningful future.
Due to its’ interdisciplinary approach CTRLZAK specialises in art direction while creating artworks, objects and spaces but above all points of reflection where form follows meaning.
Through the use of semiotic tools within the creative process the studio conceives projects and orchestrates situations that surpass common aesthetic values operating on a deeper cognitive level, aspiring to make people consider their actions and the planet that we live in.
CTRLZAK has been extensively covered by the international printed and digital press while their creations have been exhibited in galleries, museums and institutions all over the globe like the Venice Art Biennale, the Triennale in Milan, the CID-Grand Hornu, the London Design Biennial and the MAXXI to name a few.
CTRLZAK_Hybrid_World_Seletti
Let’s discover more about Katia and Thanos!
– What are the biggest challenges you have met in your career?
The biggest challenge so far has to be the beginning of our studio back in 2009. At the time we were totally unaware of the scale of the endeavour we were undertaking… We were both coming from fresh experiences in different parts of the world (Katia had just finished a project with Fondazione Pistoletto in Colombia and Thanos an art residency in China) then following a project for the Biennale of St.
Etienne we blindly decided to move to Milan a city that combined our main interests at the time: art & design. In a matter of a few weeks we had found a space that served both as house and studio and we threw ourselves headlong believing a lot in our projects. We didn’t know almost anyone in Milan, especially from the design world, but thanks to the first exhibitions and the strength of some of our projects we made ourselves known right away.
– How would you describe your work?
CTRLZAK is a hybrid studio that integrates diverse disciplines and forms of expressions. We specialize in art direction while creating artworks, objects and spaces but above all points of reflection where Form Follows Meaning. Through the use of semiotic tools within the creative process we aspire to make people consider their actions and the relationship with the planet that we live in. Regardless of the nature of the project we try to make people understand the reasoning behind each one and create an awareness that can bring them to a more meaningful and sustainable way of life.
– How is your passion for visual art and design born?
We have both been curious and imaginative since a young age. For Katia it was more about her passion about history of art & calligraphy while for Thanos it was his love of ‘big questions’ and how creative thinking can find unexpected ways to shed light upon them.
– What is the most difficult work you have done and why?
We can’t say that there has been a work that was more difficult than the others, especially since we have always done things that interested us (or found interesting points within each project anyway). Creative work (or any kind of work for that matter) is easy when one has a genuine interest for what s/he does and in particular when there is a thorough research involved. We believe that research is the key ingredient for every single project (and the most fun part since you always learn knew things in the process) and the element which allows you to move forward, in any given situation, with certainty.
– What is your main source of inspiration?
Everything around us is a source of inspiration and especially the things that many people do not see discarding them as mundane.
Travelling is a very large part of our inspiration pool -we just came back from a trip to Patagonia where nature as always offers spectacles of unfathomed imagination. Coming into contact with new cultures and diverse environments is fundamental for ones’ cultural and overall evolution. Throughout our travels we have come into contact with many different realities and this has become the basis for many projects we have developed. Realities that go beyond anthropocentric activities and are related to the natural world that surrounds us and of which we are part of. Nature in its’ infinite expressions is ultimately the biggest inspiration of all.
– What about your next project?
At the moment we are mainly involved in a series of Art Direction projects that occupy most of our time. We have been orchestrating the brand JCP Universe since its’ inception and this year we are expanding into the digital realm creating a proper Metaverse ecosystem in web 3.0 environment. In the physical world we continue our collaboration with the alternative barefoot luxury hotel ekies in northern Greece overseeing the hotel’s new expansion and entrance while we are ready to organize the launch of a new brand that saves old neglected olive trees giving them a new life. Furthermore we are organizing a series of events for ONIRO group around the theme of Dreams having also recently inaugurated with them the first dedicated library in Italy on the subject.
– Outside of design, what are you currently interested in and how is it influencing your design work?
Both of us have always had (too) many interests that naturally influence our work. Katia has a particular interest in calligraphy that she has nurtured throughout the years, as well as tango dancing that led to the design of a store, a shoe collection but also the organization of a festival (in the island of Capraia in Italy) dedicated on the subject. But her most undying interest is that of flee markets and vintage items -especially clothing(!). That interest took her even further and now she is the co-organizer (together with a past collaborator of the studio) of a very special vintage market in Milan called Remira Market. Thanos on the other hand lives consantly in his fantasy worlds that he finds in comics, role playing games, physics and philoposhy books and seminars around the nature of time, weird contemporary dances like Butoh and of course his biggest fantasy world of them all: nature (he has a house in the mountains north of Milan where he spends as much time as he can away from the city).
CTRLZAK_portrait (©) Cartacarbone