Big talent art
scroll through his works, we spotted the Iron Throne and The Night King from Game of Thrones, Darth Vader’s head, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel tower, Presidents Trump and Putin, and even some more mundane objects like a teacup and a book. ‘I find inspiration in pop culture, art, in the photographs I take of buildings and monuments on my travels, and occasionally, even from my Instagram followers,’ Salavat says.
‘This is a unique and very interesting form of art,’ he writes. ‘Graphite is an extremely brittle material, and sculptures often break down in the process. But it does not upset me; on the contrary, I find it exciting and suspenseful. Every new sculpture is a challenge, and there is no absolute guarantee that I will succeed. The more complicated the shape, the more interesting I find it.’
A single piece can take anything from a few hours to several days to complete.
‘The process of carving sculptures, for me, is like meditation. While working I listen to instrumental music; it helps me to concentrate and clears some space in my mind for inspiration. I have to work at night when the whole family is asleep, so there are no interruptions.’
Interestingly, Salavat had grown up in an artistic family but initially chose a different path. He is actually a lawyer, and had been practising law for more than 20 years when he was laid off in 2013. After a year of soul searching, he decided to go back to his childhood hobby: carving.
‘At school I really liked carving sculptures out of wood and chalk. I liked to carve animals and portraits of ancient heroes. In early 2015 I returned to the forgotten passion and discovered a new material: pencil graphite rods.’
Salavat’s microsculptures have been exhibited in London, Singapore, LA, Sharjah and Saint Petersburg. Using magnifying glasses, visitors are able to fully appreciate the intricate detailing of his mini masterpieces. On his Instagram account, you can actually watch him work – he often posts time-lapse videos. @salavat.fidai
a piece of gum can be a dilemma; a lollipop falling on them, life-threatening. His scenes tell stories, and Slinkachu thinks of them as tiny film sets; he often lies down in the street to see things from his little people’s perspectives. Some are going about their daily lives; others are in precarious situations. Some scenes are funny, others unsettling.
Once he’s done, he leaves them to fend for themselves. ‘When I walk away after I’ve photographed them, I’m putting my characters in the hands of fate. I’m abandoning them. I rarely hang around to see if people discover them – that would spoil the magic. I like to think that perhaps the stories continue after I leave. Much like real people that you pass on the street, tiny street art scenes are glimpsed for a second, and then they’re gone.’
His aim? ‘To reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost…. But underneath this, there’s always humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the people in my works.’
But even Slinkachu couldn’t have predicted how much people would relate to his Lilliputian characters – his photographs sell for up to £6500 (about R130000). ‘We have an innate pull to look after small things – kids, dogs, hamsters... People project their own feelings onto them.’ @slinkachu_official
beautiful patterns formed by the grains at the bottom of the cup. ‘I started working on a bean. I engraved a picture of Istanbul on it, and enjoyed it so much that I started trying other objects,’ he told AFP.
His aim is to draw attention to the small, overlooked objects in the world. ‘I started this journey 25 years ago with the goal of establishing a new language in art… by transforming objects we put aside or see as trash into capsules of art.’
Hasan’s most enduring muse is the city he lives in. ‘Istanbul is a rare city that never sleeps, that straddles two continents and harbours the traces of many cultures.’
He’s painted the Galata Tower on tagliatelle, the Golden Horn of the Bosphorus on the head of a drawing pin and Kız Kulesi, the Maiden’s Tower, on a matchstick head.
Not that he doesn’t change it up at times. He’s painted the faces of
Einstein, Tchaikovsky and Dali each onto matchstick heads. Another of his paintings features a scene from Pulp Fiction. Oh, and did we mention that it is painted onto a kernel of popcorn?
Fortunately, Hasan doesn’t need much to get to work whenever the mood strikes. ‘While walking in the street, I come up with an idea and I sit down and work. All I need is a drop of water in a bottle cap and I take out my palette and paints.’
His ultimate goal, he says, is to paint Istanbul’s skyline onto a single strand of hair. @hasankale_microangelo
JUNE 2020 / FAIRLADY 19