CURRENT OBSESSION:
In your work you deal with questions of sexuality. How are you finding the fine line between being bold in your statement and remain elegant, being provoking without being off-putting?
Yasar Aydin:
Im careful that I don’t show too much of what I want to say in my practical work, but at the same time trying to find an attraction for the viewer, show some of what I want say, but not give away the whole story or to little of the story. Trying to find a good balance is important, and from there a story begins.
For me details are very important in a jewellery piece. Delicate and fine details that you may not discover at once, make the piece so much more interesting in my point of view. I work a lot with movement in my pieces, I love seeing a piece which has a movement in a ‘right’ way, that immediately draws my attention.
C.O.:
Why do people wear your jewellery? Do you think many people can relate to it, or it is made to stay within the boundaries of a certain group?
Y.A.:
No, everyone can wear my jewelery pieces, I see my work as comment pieces. I tell stories and I comment on life ,sexuality and how the society around me might work regarding the current theme. I get inspiration from everyday life. A person that wears my piece may not relate to it in a direct and personal way, but may have people around them that fit more into the theme, or just agrees with my story and what I comment on.
C.O.:
‘Layers of Pink’ is a beautiful poem, praising the perfection of a male body in every small aspect of it. How carefully you choose materials to tell your story?
Y.A.:
Materials were very important in my masterwork ‘Layers of pink’. I tried out alot of different materials throughout the project. I wanted to find materials and shapes that were connecting and relevant for each and every category of my work. My outcome became to be gold, plastic, leather, porcelain, ironpowder, iron, silver and glass. For example the plastic: it was very important that the plastic was of a high quality, so it didnt give the cheap impression of the material, that it sounds cheap but looks expensive.
Regarding the combination of the materials it was important fitting them together, so they could speak to one another.
C.O.:
The combination of white silicone and white porcelain, which were undistinguishable from one another until you touched the work: a strong impression, which stayed with me since I first saw your work in 2008 (‘Let me’). Tell us about that body of work.
Y.A.:
‘Let Me’ was my bachelor work and the theme was about acceptance. Acceptance from others, but mainly to accept yourself and who you are. This project became emotional and tough, from a personal point of view, and even though it was a difficult path to take at the time, I feel today that it was yet the most important work for my development as an artist and a human being.
I started my work choosing a theme – toys. I thought that it would be great and fun to work with toys, but that changed into something more serious. One of my final shapes in this work came from ‘He-man’ the doll,I casted the shapes from his muscular arms and continued to build them even bigger. I made all the work in white, back then I didn’t now why, maybe I was thinking of innocence, or maybe hiding…today when I look back I see it as a change and/or new beginning.
C.O.:
Jewellery is a perfect medium to talk sexuality. How did you find your way towards this field? Or was it an obvious choice?
Y.A.:
I was creative as a little boy, finding ways to do thing differently, I have always liked to create things with my hands. Choosing jewelry was not an obvious choice. I started in a preschool, in a jewellery design department. After that I got more hungry and wanted to learn more within the jewelry field so I applied to Konstfack/ Ädellab.
C.O.:
I really like the ‘Balloon Man’, is this something you currently working on?
Y.A.:
The ballon man is a new developed sketch from an earlier work that I did, I never felt that it was a finished object, so its an ongoing project at the moment. It is also very connected to my bachelor work in a way, it was about the same time I did it. The materials are porcelain and glass, and there will be a glowing light inside the ballon. The ballon man is about wanting to escape into the light…
