Meet Peter Tarka, one of our Desire Series artists. Peter is a 3D visual artist from Wrocław, Poland, now based in London. Read about how he gets inspired by everything from city architecture to plants.

Who are you, in one sentence?
I’m a creator.

You describe the scenes featured in your work as dreamscapes, and we’ve enjoyed getting lost in them. What inspired you to develop this fantasy style?
I never liked super realistic stuff, when I started my 3D journey I always wanted to create stuff that is different and make you question reality. Nature and real life inspired but with a twist of illustration and abstract art. You can often see that I don’t care much about the right scale or super realistic light – that’s my signature look.

We see you grew up in Wrocław, Poland, but now live in the UK. How have those cities influenced your eye?
Wrocław was previously a German city with a rich history and fantastic architecture. Colorful buildings in the Main Square and mix of Bauhaus and modern architecture from 30s in the rest of the city makes Wrocław really stand out from the other Polish cities. I was living here for more than 20 years, so it’s definitely an important part in my design journey. Most of my designer friends from the early days still live here, so it’s always good to be back in Wroclaw. London is totally a different place – much bigger and with tons more things to do. I find inspirations on almost every street here. I’m a night person, so I often go for a night walks through the city, and the panoramic views of London are just stunning. I love everything here.

Your art features rooms that are at once realistic, yet fantastical. How does that style translate into your personal home decor?
I want my house to be practical, so I don’t play too much with my home furniture. I like mid-century and Bauhaus, so my home is built around that.

The colors and furniture styles you use designs always feel very current. What’s a fashion or design trend that you’ve found yourself wearing or trying out?
To be honest, I don’t look for any trends and I don’t believe in them. I know so many great designers that are true inspiration for me, and following them instead of trends makes your work fresh all the time. Exploring different types of art and work from the past is definitely helping me with that too.

Where do you turn to stay inspired?
My fave place to gain some inspiration now is Kew Gardens and whole East London. If I’m looking for inspiring books, I’m always moving towards nature – stuff like Botanicum or any books about plants or mushrooms are always great things for me. I love exploring organic forms.

Anywhere you want to travel to next?
2021 was a super rough year for me, so I’m planing vacations in Mexico – just to do nothing and gain some new inspirations. Mid of 2022 will be pretty busy for me as I got few trips planned – first stop is New York, then Tokyo and a lot of places in Europe.

A little birdie told us you also DJ. What’s the track you have on repeat right now?
Bonobo – "Rosewood"
Jacques Greene – "Nordschleife"