Driftwood Portrait (2021) 雕塑 由 M. Engin Akabali

I like to use materials that nature offers us. Driftwood, stone, leaf, sand etc. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the field of sand sculpture. I was a speaker at TEDx on this subject (2018). Instead of sawn and treated wood, I prefer to use dead wood that has drifted in the waves and has been naturally sanded and washed ashore. I think that these wooden pieces found add a completely different aesthetic to my work. At first glance, you can't tell that the pieces are pieces of wood. With detailed inspection, magic emerges. The portraits and sculptures I made from pieces of dead wood offer them a second chance at life.
I use the pieces of wood I collect on my nature trips without playing with their natural colors and forms.
As soon as I start making a sculpture or a portrait, I do not plan what or who it will become. I let the pieces of wood I used guide me. Pieces of wood already show me what it wants to become through trial and error, according to its folds, knots, colors and shapes. However, this is a troublesome process. Sometimes I have to wait a long time for this improvised process to direct the right piece in the right direction, and sometimes I can go fast and finish my work in a short time when I catch the flow. Some may take years to complete, and there are some that I did not complete.
I want to convey the beauty of nature to my works and I think I will succeed with natural materials.  

• 国籍: 土耳其
• 出生日期 : 1980
• 艺术领域：
• 团体： 当代土耳其艺术家