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ÇETINATEŞ (Turkish-American)
My sculptures have their own whimsical world like us. I open windows and make them visible, and show people their reflection upon their own lives. To shape my sculptures, I generally use arc welding technique because it is such a rich method for me. It presents different characteristics for construction and provides opportunities with its fluid and lumpy texture. Some coincidental formations that take place under my control are its characteristics that make the technique mysterious and surprising. Welding technique becomes a tool at the beginning of my works and transforms into being a goal during the development and the final stages of my works. The materials I often use in my products are ranging from different type of steel rods to sheet metal to screws, nuts and nails that represent today's contemporary art elements. I use metaphors like key, keyhole, stair, dance, boat, fishing, moon, and sun for my sculptures to be able to touch some of the themes like freedom; man’s challenge to try to eliminate the distances between her/his childhood, youth and adulthood; or looking for a new chance in life. Recently, I make a lot of dancer sculptures, because the aesthetic and figurative richness of human body movement is a good tool to express many things from human soul. Living and getting educated in Turkey and living in the United States for several years allowed me to experience different cultures. This also changed me, my perspective towards life, art, and the most importantly towards my interactions with people. I saw the uniqueness in people when they looked at my sculptures, when they expressed their feelings about them. I really enjoy now bringing these wonderful, unique characters together for a single window I open. My works are also a kind of reaction towards the definition of iron as being cold.With metal, control stays with you! In return, it requests only one thing: that you expose the warmth in its essence. That is what I try to achieve. I believe that metal will stay warm as long as it serves art! HONED METAL SCULPTURE PROCESS I use Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) or another way to say a "Stick Welding" technique to combine the steel pieces and make the textures on my sculptures. In this technique, stick welding is a process which melts and joins metals by heating them with an arc between a coated metal electrode and the workpiece. The electrode outer coating, called flux, assists in creating the arc and provides the shielding gas and slag covering to protect the weld from contamination. To produce my sculptures, I first research my concept and the figure for my aesthetic and anatomic expectations. Afterwards, I sketch to see the movements and balance of the composition or design. After I feel that it's ready to practice, I choose and prepare my materials and begin the creation process. For example, when I create a figure, I cut the steel rods and shape them with a hammer. I then combine them with my stick welder using an electrode. Sometimes to shape the parts of the bodies or sheet metal pieces, I use a plasma cutter. To make the surfaces clean and also make the textures more smooth and shiny, I use a grinder as a power tool. To complete my sculptures I sign my initials and year using an electrode (stick welding) and as a final step I brush the surfaces to clean and prepare it for protection from rust. As for inspiration, they are from human lives, experiences, expectations, freedom. I believe everybody can change their lives any time to reach new destinations for their happiness. I love to work on dancers because I like the human body as a form. We can see on dancers how it's aesthetic and anatomically perfect balance at the movement. I like to show the energy of their movements.
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