Agaxa Stool in Black Chrome Finish by Ctrlzak for JCP Universe

Launched in Milan in 2008, CTRLZAK is a hybrid studio creating artworks, design objects, and spaces inspired by diverse cultures and the natural world. Cofounders Katia Meneghini and Thanos Zakopoulos undertake extensive research into cultural context and traditions for every project, and they see their work as “points of reflection where form follows meaning.” Through their highly conceptual projects, they aim “to make people contemplate their actions and the world that we live in.” 

To date, standout projects include Quartz (2013), a furniture system inspired by the perfect geometry found in nature, and Precious (2015), a see-through safe designed for Spazio Pontaccio. Additionally, the CeramiX Art Collection (2010) consists of 24 original pieces derived from classic Chinese and European plates, bowls, vases and cups, reassembled as unusual remixes. The resulting objects reflect on the historical production of Chinese and European porcelain and centuries of cross-fertilization between Western and Eastern aesthetics. The follow-up Hybrid Collection (2011-2015), designed for Seletti, made this concept accessible to a broader audience through everyday porcelain tableware. The pieces are graphically divided between east and west, with a colored line marking the boundary between the two styles while, notably, simultaneously strengthening their union. Further, CTRLZAK is responsible for art direction and multiple designs for the Milan-based JCP; launched in 2015, JCP is a design brand producing works by the likes of Sam Baron, Richard Hutten, and other notable designers, as well as a selection of filmmakers, directors, artists, writers, and other creatives.

CTRLZAK has received multiple awards, including, but not limited to the 2014 Carpet Design Award (Best Innovation category) for the CC-Tapis Crossme(k)not Carpet. Their work has been exhibited in galleries around the globe, and their objects are included in the permanent collections of museums such as the Louvre in Paris and the MoMA in New York, among others.

Meneghini (born in 1981 Cittadella, Italy) studied graphic design and photography at Liceo Artistico Statale Michele Fanoli between 1995 and 2000. She went on to earn a degree in art history from the University of Ca’Foscari in Venice (2003) as well as a post-graduate certificate in fine and visual arts from the IUAV University of Venice (2006).  Zakopoulos (born in 1978 in Athens, Greece) studied art and design at the UK’s Southampton City College between 1996 and 1997; he then went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree with honors in product design and marketing from the Southampton Solent University (1997-2000). In 2006, he completed his studies with a post-graduate course in fine and visual arts at the IUAV University of Venice, where he also met Meneghini.

JCP Universe is the brainchild of Italian architect Livio Ballabio and was born out of a radical think tank held in Milan in 2015. Ballabio studied at the Politecnico di Milano under Raffaella Crespi, graduating with a degree in Industrial Design. The artistic direction of JCP Universe is in the hands of hybrid design studio CTRLZAK, led by Italian-Greek artist-designers Katia Meneghini and Thanos Zakopoulos. Other designers contributing to the JCP universe include Richard Hutten, Sam Baron, Alessandro Zambelli, Emanuele Magini, Nanda Vigo and Matteo Cibic.

JCP Universe is an eclectic brand that aims to change the design status quo through a wide-ranging practice and its fusion of art and design. The brand not only produces furniture and other design objects but is engaged in shaping culture more broadly - staging performance events at the CRT Milano Teatro dell’Arte as part of the Milan Triennale, as well as producing art videos and designing printed artworks. Pieces like the KRYPTAL Table Lamp (2017), which bring together a rough lava stone base with matte brass and glass fittings; the ANTIVOL Side Table (2017), which also incorporates raw lava stone; or some of the recent printed works by Susami Creative for JCP Universe capture the brand’s penchant for a kind of apocalyptic chic aesthetic that pushes the futuristic and primordial so far that they fold back around and collide. The RONE Floor Lamp (2017) by Richard Hutten for JCP Universe riffs off retro robots, giving them a humorously minimal, forward-looking aspect, while even the PERFLECT Display Cabinet (2017) by Sam Baron for JCP reiterates the futuristic vibe, albeit in a more restrained variant.

Based outside of Milan, JCP Universe’s mission is to speculate on and, indeed, to create the future of design. This does not mean abandoning the traditional quality standards of the region, though, and most of JCP Universe’s collection is produced with expert artisans in northern Italy. The brand works predominantly with private clients, but its work was recently honored when it was shortlisted for the Milan Design Award for JCP Universe’s Ten Secret Treasures exhibition during the Fuorisalone 2016.