Erika Baffico is a designer committed into technologically innovative lighting and metamerism – a particular relation between light, color and human perception. International portfolio including works, exhibitions, publications, conference, and patent design.
Born in Milan and raised internationally, Erika Baffico graduated from Politecnico di Milano after a master’s degree at Domus Academy. She has designed and produced lamps, exhibited and published worldwide. She worked as Artistic Director for the Chinese lighting brand Oikoi and since 2020 she has opened her own design studio in Milan. Moreover she collaborates with Academic Institutions and architectural firms for both commercial commissions and research.
– What are the biggest challenges you have met in your career?
Every project is a challenge in itself, and that’s what makes my work as a designer so exciting. Whether it’s a space, an object, or lighting, each project demands a delicate balance between integrating new functions and meanings while respecting the original context and its paradigms.
-How was you passion for art born?
Art is an interpretation of life, a formulation of a point of view about the world. I believe that the drive to interpret what we see, smell, hear, and perceive is intrinsic to human nature. I think I was simply born with this passion.
-What is your main source of inspiration?
Nature especially the way beauty and function are intricately intertwined in a harmonious complexity, where every element is balanced with the others. It is simultaneously strong and delicate, and I find it an inexhaustible and powerful source of inspiration.
-What does art mean for you?
As I mentioned before, it is the formulation of an interpretation of life. However, I must clarify that my work is not about being an artist, as is sometimes mistakenly assumed when one works in design. Design is not intended as an isolated piece of art; it is a project—be it a space, an object, or lighting—that interacts functionally with its context while also eliciting an emotional response.
Erika Baffico – Portrait