Katrin Olina, is a new type of multidisciplinary artist who realizes her vision in an ever-growing list of projects, ranging from couture product designs and interiors to fine art exhibitions. Olina’s quasi-narrative graphic language depicts her own inner landscape—a fantastical world at once supernatural, organic and dreamlike. Born in Iceland, Olina studied Industrial Design at the E.S.D.I. in Paris before getting her feet wet in the European design studios of Philippe Starck (Paris) and Ross Lovegrove (London). Since, she has set off to complete numerous fine-art installations around the world, among them a 10x5-meter commission in the Oslo National Gallery (2005), a 15x3-meter computer generated drawing for the VIP room at 100% Design Tokyo (2007), and most recently an 85-square-meter artwork and an animation video for the Reykjavik Museum. Olina has meanwhile maintained a hand in trend-shaping in the marketplace: From 1998 to 2006, she collaborated extensively with designer Michael Young, during which time they created the coat hanger Tree for Swedese, one of their many widely popular projects. She is also responsible for the identity and the graphic interior for SKIN clinic in Italy, a line of limited-edition products for the young brand Fornarina in 2006 and 2007, and an editioned graphic series titled “Art in Porcelain” made in conjunction with German porcelain specialist Rosenthal in 2005. In 2007, Olina was invited to create the official poster and visual identity for the 2007 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, adding her vision to the festival’s prestigious series of posters.
Through her own company, Katrin Olina Ltd., she has fabricated a range of limited edition products—including silk scarves, hand painted porcelain products, fashion accessories, snowboards and helmets and bags. Last year Olina was invited to be the guest artist for 100% Design, Tokyo and created a 150-square-meter graphic installation that fully covered the main bar/café area at the Fair.
With her other worldly drawings that cover entirely the interior of Cristal Bar in Hong Kong, Olina pioneers a new kind of interactivity in space though graphic design, a project that has won her international recognition and awards including the Forum Aid awards in Stockholm and the DV culture prize in Iceland 2009.

AWARDS:
FIT, Iceland. - Grand Prix, Graphic design 2008 /for SKIN
FORUM AID, Sweden. - BEST INTERIOR 2009/for Cristal Bar
DV Culture Prize Iceland. - Design 2009