Nikolai Tabachkov

The science of artisanal forging

• Nikolai studied engraving and jewellery art before turning to ironwork
• His work includes chandeliers, wrought iron staircases and installations
• He taught artistic metalwork in Moscow for 12 years

With more than 20 years of ironwork experience behind him, Nikolai Tabachkov seeks to make traditional artisanal forging resonate with contemporary interior concepts. He finds inspiration in everything from ancient engravings to natural wonders. A graduate of the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Industrial and Applied Arts, Nikolai later returned to his alma mater as a teacher. He founded his Art Metal Lab studio in 2003 with the aim of making traditional crafts fashionable. Today, he compares the diversity of works that he makes with a periodic table: "In some of the cells you find the techniques that I have mastered, those are the known elements, while some others are yet to be explored or even discovered. The white spaces are the most intriguing!"

Interview

Dmitry Ternovoy ©Michelangelo Foundation

Dmitry Ternovoy ©Michelangelo Foundation

What attracts you to metal as a medium?

The main thing is that metal can be used for both decoration and construction. I would describe it as a very honest material in its anatomy; you can’t cheat with it. The range of techniques is so stunning that a whole life is not enough to explore them all.

What are your most unorthodox works?

Perhaps the Amber Hunters, a 2m high composition created for a blacksmith festival at the Amber Museum in Kaliningrad and inspired by an ancient engraving that shows sailors trying to lift amber from the bottom of the sea with a long butterfly net.

How long does it take to create a work?

Each case is inexplicable magic: sometimes a month is enough, while at other times you need a whole year or more to complete a project. That happens when you have to start over a few times, until your ideas take their real shape.

What inspires your work?

Life! And the most unlikely sources. One of my mentors, Valentin Kochenkov, once joked that when creating a piece of jewellery one should look at a toilet bowl. This metaphor may sound rough but it tells a precious truth: the more unlikely the inspiration, the more exciting the resulting piece will be!

Nikolai Tabachkov is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2003

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