Quevara is a Melbourne-based design label by artist Ara Dolatian, creating sculptural ceramic candelabras that transform the dining table into a site of conversation, ritual, and gathering. Handmade and individually crafted, each piece balances refined craftsmanship with unexpected form, bringing elegance, wit, and a quiet theatricality to shared meals.
Designed to be collected, used, and admired, Quevara's objects do more than hold candlelight, they shape atmosphere, inviting connection, storytelling, and memorable dining experiences. Every piece is handmade in Melbourne, celebrating the beauty of functional sculpture and the enduring ritual of coming together around the table.
Ara Dolatian is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the relationships between cultural landscapes and the natural ecosystem. He conflates several ideas around the themes of the studio and laboratory, and social and environmental politics.
Dolatian has exhibited nationally and internationally and has collaborated with a large number of public art projects. He was a finalist for the Darebin Art Prize, Deakin Small Sculpture Prize, The Substation Station Contemporary Art Prize, Incinerator Art Award, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. He was commended for Nothfair and a recipient of the 2019 Project Developments Funding from Australian Council for the Arts. In 2016 he completed a residency with Centro Negro AADK, including a solo exhibition, in Spain. In 2017 Ara received a grant to develop a new project for the 2017-18 program at Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo in Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as funding to complete a project and a residency with Soil Science Australia in Brisbane.
Dolatian holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (sculpture) from RMIT University (2012) and a Master in Social Science Environment and Planning (2014).