Michael Nashef
Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Michael Nashef was born in war-torn Lebanon, and he has seen a great deal of beautiful architecture damaged and destroyed. Yet despite the damage, these buildings continue to shelter and shield human life. Influenced by the vernacular of architecture and building materials, Nashef constructs structures that double as vessels: distilled representations of buildings ruined by war, whose functional resilience comes from the stability and strength of the cement with which he works. The simplicity of the forms and lines allows him to accentuate the damaged parts on the vessels. He also makes jewelry in 3D-printed nylon, whose airiness provides an ironic complement to his concrete works. By bridging the aesthetics and the materials within his jewelry, he asks the wearer and viewer to form a connection to their surroundings, realizing that there is no perfection, only adaptation to our current situation.