Staring into a charming abyss through Karol Mietkiewicz’s otherworldly creations

Polish artist Karol Mietkiewicz, also known by his brand name Charlie Mintson, is a costume and jewelry designer as well as an art director. In his Berlin studio, in the company of his domestic python, Mietkiewicz crafts unique creations worn in editorial shoots and music videos.

Karol Mietkiewicz graduated from the High School of Fine Arts C. Brancusi in Szczecin and then pursued his education in the Sculpture Department at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. He worked as a woodcarver and in an aquarium before starting to design his own costumes about 7 years ago.

Using mainly polymers, he first creates molds and assembles the parts into mystical body extensions. Karol Mietkiewicz draws his inspiration from nature, with whom he has had a special relationship since his childhood. Growing up in a small Polish village surrounded by nature, it has always been a part of himself and is now a foundation of his art.

Nature creations are always imperfect, made out of complex shapes with a wide variety of colors and patterns. Its beauty comes from its irregularities, its abnormalities, which is what Karol Mietkiewicz celebrates through his art. His creations invite people to make one with nature, making them hybrid creatures. Believing that humans have lost their connection with nature and themselves, Mietkiewicz invites them to rekindle it and reinvent themselves.

Through some of his projects like “#diversityagainstdiscrimination”, Mietkiewicz shows the beauty of difference. With a series of portraits, he presents the beauty in the uniqueness of LGBTQI+ (and) people of color. Mietkiewicz’s creations enhance the singularity of each individual in fantastic colorful photographs. Scroll down below to discover some of them!