1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

Me and my family moved to Turkey just right after I was born in Krumovgrad, Bulgaria. I grew up in the European part of Turkey.  After living in 4 cities in Turkey, I recently settled in Paris.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

I was enjoying drawing pictures or shaping play dough when I was a kid like everyone else. I haven’t stopped creating something after I turned into adulthood. One day I decided to take my passion as my main practice for living.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

As an architecture graduate, I worked as an architect for couple of years. Then I worked as an academic in an architecture school in Istanbul.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

My occupancies were not satisfying my need of creating freely and individually while I was working as an architect and academic. Something was missing. I was seeking for a more creative field that allows me to express myself. After I met with the clay material, I immediately realized that it will be my thing.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

My creative process is two sided; creative thinking and physical labor. Defining my creative thinking process would be the same with defining myself. It is always with me. Sometimes seeing a good movie or going for a run can trigger my creativity and I can’t resist to sketch some ideas. The other side, physical labor needs a significant self-discipline. I am busy with clay in my studio most of my time.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

My creative process is two sided; creative thinking and physical labor. Defining my creative thinking process would be the same with defining myself. It is always with me. Sometimes seeing a good movie or going for a run can trigger my creativity and I can’t resist to sketch some ideas. The other side, physical labor needs a significant self-discipline. I am busy with clay in my studio most of my time.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

I feel I can create anything with clay. It gives me a lot of freedom. I feel also confident with my hand skills. I also like material’s nature and history. It has been used since agricultural revolution which makes clay a poetic material. Moreover, It is probably the most sustainable and ethical material because it is basically the soil.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

They all are ceramics; I didn’t use any other material. I enjoy experimenting with different ceramic clay. While most of my works are made of white stoneware clay, I made some pieces with porcelain, low temperature clays and black, red and yellow clays. Because I don’t like shiny surfaces, mostly I don’t use glazes which is a significant part of ceramic art. I color them with paints while keeping the materials’ own rough surface. It is reasonable with my sculptures but it can be tricky when I make sculptural design pieces. Many people don’t like the idea of a table with a not waterproof surface but I like contradictions.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

They should know themselves; their skills, their taste, what they want to express. They should be authentic. Having researches or seeking for inspiration in other artist’s works help but it shouldn’t be more than enough. They should be good at self-discipline and establishing a daily routine for working. My studio is like my sacred place, sometimes I go there just for my daily routine, without having any ideas and I find myself finishing a prototype at the end of the day.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

All movements and labels are arguable. Even the title of my practice is arguable. Different people call me as artist, designer, maker or entrepreneur. When I try to label my practice and my “movement”, I feel like I am limiting myself. People can define my practice whatever they want but I usually say, “I make some things with clay” when I met with someone.

11. What designers have influenced you ?

Not only designers but I will say some sculptors and architects as well: Sotsass, Brancusi, Noguchi, Aldo Rossi, Bofill, Carlo Scarpa, brutalist architects of Soviets, ancient potters of Mediterranean.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

Honestly, I follow hundreds of creators and it is not easy to highlight some of them.

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

Mostly my main inspiration is coming from the past. It is impossible to not being affected by the images we see, probably I am inspired by some artists but I can’t point any of them.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

All my creations are pave stones in my journey to the unknown.

15. Is there anything you would like to add ?

Thank you for the detailed interview. I think collectible design / functional art scene is growing and it is important to make the creators of this field visible.

Proust Questionnaire with very short answers (one or a few words) :
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)