Ildar Wafin

Wafin’s body of work is influenced by the rural landscape of Finland. The haute jewellery pieces that he creates embed a sense of narrativity transforming the themes of identity, cultural heritage, diaspora & folklore into a tangible form of jewellery. Combining aspects from his cultural heritage to natural elements he believes in creating a means of documenting his roots and ancestry in a conversation with the present. Wafin is a part of a very small minority of Tatar people living in Finland.

In his research Wafin has focused on the ancient folklore tales of the Tatar people. These tales from his childhood sparked an inspiration and evolved in to creating a collection of handcrafted jewellery pieces. Mysticism and unprecedented natural forces are strongly represented in these folklore stories which have magical creatures that dwell in the forests. These stories often have hidden messages in them which question the morality of the human mind and the interaction we have with the surrounding nature.

Wafin has handcrafted all of his pieces in sterling silver using the technique of wax casting and combining it with traditional goldsmithing techniques.