What is the best thing that I love about my work?
What I love most is that every major work becomes a journey into the unknown. I always put a great deal of research, thought and manual labour into my creations, both before and during the making process. My sculptures are not simply objects; they are worlds that slowly reveal themselves as I build them. Along the way, there are always surprises, discoveries and unexpected problems to solve. I also love collaborating with other artists, voice actors, musicians, technicians and experts in different fields. Those collaborations often bring ideas into the work that I could never have reached alone.
What is my idea of happiness?
For me, happiness is often a by-product of meaningful work, self-improvement and caring for others. It is not just pleasure or comfort, but a feeling that life has direction and purpose. I feel happiest when I am growing, creating, learning and contributing something valuable to the people around me.
What is my greatest fear?
I am not particularly afraid of death itself, but I do worry about leaving unfinished business behind. As an artist, I have created many works that carry years of effort, emotion and personal investment. Sometimes I think about what would happen to those paintings and sculptures if I were suddenly gone, and whether they would become a burden for the people I love. My fear is not only about loss, but about leaving behind work that still has a life, meaning and future that has not yet been fulfilled.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?
I often start too many projects at once. My imagination moves quickly, and I can become excited by several ideas at the same time. The challenge is turning that energy into focus and finishing the most important work properly. I have learned that discipline is just as important as inspiration.
Which living persons in my profession do I most admire?
I greatly admire my friend Rupert Truman, an exceptional photographer who has helped create a vast body of iconic work, including album covers and imagery for bands and musicians such as Pink Floyd, The Cranberries and Peter Gabriel. What I admire most is not only his creative achievement, but his modesty. He represents a rare combination of excellence, experience and humility.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?
The thing I dislike most is the amount of time everything takes. Some projects last for years, and there are moments when I become tired of chasing every tiny detail. At the same time, that patience is also what gives the work its strength. The frustration and the value often come from the same place.
When and where was I the happiest in my work?
I am often happiest at the beginning of a new idea, when everything feels possible and the work exists as a powerful vision in my mind. I also feel great excitement at each major stage of development: adding LED light, writing a story for a sculpture, building a soundscape or starting a new collaboration. The final unveiling of a finished artwork, especially at an exhibition opening, is another kind of happiness. It is the moment when years of private work finally meet an audience.
If I could, what would I change about myself?
I would like to be more focused on one thing at a time. My mind naturally moves between ideas, projects and possibilities, which can be exciting but also difficult to manage. I would not want to lose my curiosity, but I would like to direct it with more discipline.
What is my greatest achievement in work?
One of my greatest achievements was organising and curating a large independent art exhibition in Central London involving around 80 artists. The event attracted tens of thousands of visitors over four weeks and was described by The Londonist as “London’s biggest and most ambitious indie event in 2020.” It happened just before Covid shut down much of the cultural world, which made it feel even more significant. I am also proud of winning several art competitions and continuing to build complex sculptural works without major institutional backing.
Where would I most like to live?
London is my place. I have lived here for many years, and the city has shaped my identity, ambition and artistic imagination. Perhaps later in life I may want to live somewhere warmer and closer to the sea, but for now London still feels like the right base for my work and ideas.
What is my most treasured possession?
My most treasured possession is probably my latest sculpture, Metropolis. It is impossible to replicate, took around four years to create, and required tens of thousands of pounds and an enormous amount of physical and intellectual labour. Many talented people contributed to it, so it carries not only my effort, but also the energy of those collaborations. I would be deeply unhappy to lose it, because it represents a major chapter of my life and practice.
What is my most marked characteristic?
My most marked characteristic is attention to detail. This is especially visible in my sculptural work, where I build dense worlds from thousands of small parts. I am interested in complexity, hidden stories and the feeling that a viewer can keep discovering new things the longer they look.
What is my most inspirational location in my city?
Central London is my most inspirational location. I love its architecture, density, history and intensity. It contains beauty, ambition, chaos, wealth, loneliness, tradition and constant reinvention, often within the same street. That mix has strongly influenced the way I think about cities and the future.
What is my favourite place to eat and drink in my city?
I do not have one single favourite place. London offers too many different atmospheres, cuisines and experiences to choose only one. Part of the pleasure of the city is that there is always somewhere new to discover.
What books influenced my life and how?
At one point I read several books by Paulo Coelho, which helped me see life in a more magical and positive way. His writing encouraged me to think about destiny, courage and the importance of following a personal path. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle also influenced me. It helped me become calmer, more centred and more aware of the present moment.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen to on my last day?
I would listen to Dead Can Dance. Their music feels magical, ancient, multidimensional and spiritual without belonging to one fixed tradition. It has a sense of mystery and depth that would suit such a final day.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?
Batman, of course 😉
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?
I admire people who combine achievement with curiosity, discipline and humility. Joe Rogan has influenced my thinking through long-form conversations with people from many different fields, and I appreciate his curiosity and willingness to explore difficult subjects. I also admire Demis Hassabis, the Nobel Prize winner, chess master and co-founder of DeepMind. In my eyes, he is one of the most important people working in artificial intelligence today, and I hope people with his level of intelligence and responsibility help guide AI in a positive direction.
Which movie would I recommend seeing once in a lifetime?
I would recommend Life Is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni. It is wonderful, sad, heart-warming and funny, which is a very rare combination. The film shows imagination and love surviving in the darkest circumstances.
What role do stories play in my life and work?
Stories are at the core of my work. In my paintings and drawings, the story is often left for the viewer to imagine. In my sculptural work, I sometimes write stories directly into the project, with voice actors performing them as part of the soundscape. Researching and writing those stories teaches me a lot. It also helps me build artworks that feel like worlds rather than isolated objects.
What do the words “You are the storyteller of your own life” mean to me?
To me, it means that we are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves. We decide, in our minds, whether something is failure or learning, ugly or beautiful, meaningless or full of possibility. Life can feel like a game in which we are the main character, at least from our own perspective. That does not mean we control everything, but we do have influence over interpretation, attitude and direction. It is important to choose stories that make us stronger, wiser and more open to possibility.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?
At the moment, I am probably my own greatest fan, sponsor and partner in crime. That may sound funny, but it is also true. Much of my work has required self-belief before anyone else could fully see the vision. I have had help from many generous and talented people, but the initial push has usually had to come from me.
Which people or companies would I like to work with?
I would love to work with DeepMind / Google DeepMind, particularly in relation to my latest venture, Metropoliverse. The project is a virtual world based on my sculpture Metropolis, and one of its central ideas is the development of meaningful AI characters, including a concept called Mother AI. I am interested in how artificial intelligence could become more human-centred, constructive and emotionally intelligent inside digital environments. A collaboration with people working at the highest level of AI could make a real difference to that vision.
What project am I looking forward to working on?
I am looking forward to developing Metropoliverse, a digital platform based on my sculpture Metropolis. The sculpture is a dense futuristic city, and the project aims to translate that world into an interactive digital environment. Metropoliverse has the potential to bring together art, gaming, AI, storytelling, education, identity and social connection. It is a large and ambitious idea, but it grows naturally from my sculptural practice.
Where can you see me or my work?
The most up-to-date place to see my work is Instagram: @artofok.
To see the outline of Metropoliverse, visit: metropoliverse.com.
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?
They reflect how I feel about creation and art. Nobody ever forced me to draw, paint, sculpt, write or imagine. I have always been pulled towards making things. A life without passion would feel like an empty husk to me. I believe this applies not only to artists, but to anyone who has something meaningful that keeps them alive inside.
Which creative heroes should Peter invite to tell their story?
I would recommend Jacek Yerka, the Polish painter, and Professor Piotr Szarota, the writer and psychologist. They are both very interesting people with rich creative and intellectual lives. They also know each other, which could create an interesting connection between their stories.
How can you contact me?
Email: oskar@artofok.com
Instagram: @artofok
Oskar OK Krajewski
(+44)7833737155