ESNA SU
Cluster Exhibitor | Cluster Crafts | 2020
Her body of work subtly explores the issues of identity and memory and how these are shaken in the context of political instability.Su envelopes her pieces with heritage, using traditional Turkish techniques of weaving, twining and crochet.
Two performance represent Syrian refugees who have been forced to abandon their homes, belongings and flee the conflict. A great accomplishment of Su’s collection and her contribution to Art, Design and Craft received Hospital Club 100 Award and The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers’ Award 2020. Su completed her residency at The Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation and continues working in Cockpit Arts as a residence.
Central Saint Martin’s graduate Esna Su breathes stories into materials to create evocative handcrafted pieces.
Despite the traditional aspects of the pieces, they are mutated into wearable sculptures as Su translates them into her own language with the use of her own methods. Her collection "The Refugee and The Burden" were exhibited in the UK as well as in Netherland, Switzerland, South Korea, China. During London Refugee Week, the collection made a voice in 2017 with performance The Rubble Talks Too and in 2018 presented with performance during London Refugee Week in 2017 as The Rubble Talks Too and When The Nest Falls in 2018.
The Burden by Esna Su is based on the struggle of Syrian refugees who have been forced to abandon their homes and flee the conflict, continuing their lives in memories in sprawling refugee camps.
Su’s work reflected her observation while she was in her hometown Antioch /South of Turkey where most of Syrian refugees reached in order to secure their lives. Her work mainly underline how those people’s built life destroyed and that results with loss of homes, land and belongings. Their continuation of lives will be in isolated societies by hoping to go back to their countries where they belong to.
The empty shells represents the memories of destroyed lives by moulding knitted vegetable tanned leather cord around artist’s cherished objects. Vegetable tanned leather used as material as it was once a skin and took the form of a body now it embraces the sentimental objects to form hallow shapes, which in return contain memories and the loss of the past.