German painter and illustrator Olaf Hajek has created ad campaigns for the French department-store chain Printemps, holiday windows for Hermès, candle graphics for Diptyque and porcelain vessels for Meissen. Now, he has collaborated with Christopher Farr Cloth on a collection of four wallpapers and two printed linens, the first time his designs have been translated into textiles.
The collection explodes with the bright colors and lush motifs Hajek is known for. For River of Joy (shown), he explains, “I wanted to create [an] almost dreamlike garden, with fountains, houses and symbolic elements… It’s about emotional richness and ornament as narrative space.” Dancing Parade initially looks retro, but closer inspection reveals figures garbed in fantastical Diaghilev-style costumes. “I focused on geometry, rhythm and collective movement,” Hajek observes. The figures “form a choreographed group, distinct identities that together create a powerful pattern.”
Hajek developed his distinctive visual language “from a fascination with folkloric imagery, naïve painting and the poetic language of ornament across cultures,” he says. “I carry a broad internal archive shaped by Indian miniature painting, African and South American art, and vernacular storytelling. These influences are not direct references; they form an atmosphere.”
That’s true of Trees of Wonder (right), wallpaper panels that feel Indian-inspired, but nevertheless retain their own personality. Dancing Vines recalls colorful African cloth but also feels just as identified with Secessionist aesthetics. Christopher Farr Cloth’s creative director, Michal Silver, says “There is a magical realism to his work with its explosion of color, abundance of detail, texture and storytelling.”
Photography by Anthony Perez.
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