Nico Yektai

Functional furniture and craftsmanship are the two factors that have helped shape my style. The other factor that I play against the first two is a desire for originality. My style has been steadily evolving since 1995 when I opened the doors to my studio in Sag Harbor NY. I choose to make functional furniture that I then infuse with personal content. For me this is the same relationship that any figurative painter would have to their subject. I use the accessibility of my subject, furniture, to engage a broader audience in the discovery of a sculptural object.

The influences that have helped shape my style come from aging furniture and the history of Art. I have always responded to the way that time can break apart glue joints and the way that boards can often warp away from the precise locations. It is as if the components are fighting to be seen as furniture degrades. I also look to the effects of use on furniture. Edges can be worn away by a forearm or a swinging foot. These moments introduce a life to the piece that the maker did not intend but they become a integral part of the piece over time. My background in Art introduces the notion of composition and the desire to introduce a system of action and reaction into my work. I want to leave evidence of my involvement as I make the piece.

Desk #2 and Chair #4 offer the latest manifestations of these influences. Each component within them is separated out. Then they are shifted, twisted and bent to set the forms into asymmetrical movement. The structure becomes the detail. The drawers in the desk are a treat to open since they too have been effected and they now open in unexpected directions. I am constantly pushing pieces into positions that are uncomfortable for me. This forces me into new territory as I bend something else to rebalance the composition. I then take to the piece with block plane and spoke shave in hand. I use facets to further balance the composition. I step away from these pieces when they feel natural and balanced. I want the piece to catch the viewers attention and then to engage them in layer upon layer of detail as they spin around the piece and discover it as a sculptural object.

nicoyektai.com