”Creating Jewels out of Nature“
VITA
Born in Upper Austria, Irene Maria Ganser discovered her creative potential at a young age. As a child, the artist fell in love with the colour gold, which conveyed a sense of warmth, optimism and elegance to her – “I think that’s why I love working with brass and bronze so much.”
As a student, she was drawn to international design centres. She went to Paris to study design and fashion, and later to Milan, where she completed her Master’s degree in Fashion Design at the Marangoni Institute. She also studied interior design at the renowned Politecnico di Milano.
Irene Maria Ganser began her design career at the Milan studio ‘Corso Como 10’, founded by the New York artist Kris Ruhs. In this fantastic creative space, she developed her passion and craftsmanship in metalwork across the fields of jewellery design, sculpture and art installations. After moving from Milan to Vienna, her talent attracted the interest of international brands such as Siemens, Chopard and Alfa Romeo, who commissioned her to create designs. For many years, she was also responsible for the design and production of home accessories for Grüne Erde, an ecological, sustainable company based in Austria.
Irene Maria Ganser’s designs are regularly showcased at international design fairs, exhibitions and in the architectural press: most recently, Christian Dior Couture acquired the “Punto” table for its showroom. Three of her “Punto” tables were also selected for the VIP area of the Austrian Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai. The artist’s tables were also exhibited at the PAD design fair in Geneva. Her “Emilie” side table was featured in the renowned architecture magazine AD France as one of the best designs of 2021.
Sustainability is also a key consideration in their collections. For example, the “Conifera” and “Kollmütz” designs are also available in recycled aluminium.Secondary aluminium is made from recycled aluminium and is recovered through the scrap cycle. The cost of recycling is around 5% of the cost of producing primary aluminium.
Nature is a key source of inspiration for her unique creations. As she lives and works in Vienna, she also draws inspiration from the rich tradition of artistic metal casting. The city is home to some of the world’s finest examples of metal architecture. The artist’s favourite is the dome of the Vienna Secession building – a sea of golden leaves.
INSPIRATION
Irene Maria Ganser is an Austrian artist and designer based in Vienna, whose practice operates at the intersection of object, material and installation. Her works are sculptural, expressive and functional – yet they also embody a precise artistic intention: they do not depict nature, but rather make its processes visible.
At the heart of her body of work lies an exploration of time, transformation and the fragility of natural processes. In Ganser’s works, these processes appear, as it were, preserved, frozen in a single moment – yet they constantly point to ongoing change. In this context, material becomes not merely a form, but a vessel for history and memory.
The starting point for many of these works is nature as a source of inspiration, as well as the use of found materials, which are often steeped in history.
For instance, sea corals served as the inspiration for the “Punto” table, whilst the side tables in the “Albeo” series are crafted from the wood of an old bridge. In the “Kollmütz” series, the artist transforms the surface of a wine press dating back up to 250 years, transposing its traces of use and ageing into new contexts. The “Conifera” table also references the passage of time inscribed in a tree’s annual rings, whilst the “Emilie” side table pays homage to the Wiener Werkstätte and reinterprets the wickerwork of traditional coffee house chairs.
Contrast, texture and tactile quality are key elements of her artistic language. Ganser’s objects navigate between opposites: smooth and rough, light and dark, matt and glossy, gold and black. These tensions are not static, but shift in interaction with light and perception – an object may appear soft and understated in the evening light, whilst in daylight it reveals its formal rigour and sharp contrasts.
Another defining feature is the tactile quality of her surfaces: solid metal forms appear surprisingly smooth and warm. This effect is a testament to Ganser’s technical precision and her high standards of quality. Each piece undergoes an intensive process of shaping, compacting and refining until form, materiality and expression achieve a perfect balance.
Overall, Irene Maria Ganser’s artistic practice revolves around making change visible – both as an aesthetic category and as an existential condition. Her works speak of lived time, of transformation, and of the ongoing dialogue between nature, material and form.
CLIENTS
Lobmeyr lighting, Chopard, Motel One, Corso Como 10, Regent Hotel Porto Montenegro, Yacht Club Porto Montenegro, Siemens, Alfa Romeo, Grüne Erde, Sonnentor, Bioemsan, Löffler, Eisberg and others.
