Craft Conversations
Eli Beke of Wedge and Edge Woodcraft creates works that are as visually compelling as they are comfortable to use. He will be featured in this year's Virtual Open Studios as a part of the Craft Contemporary festival.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became interested in Craft?
My name is Eli Joshua Beke. My last name means “peace” in the Hungarian language. I was born in Australia about 35 years ago, my mother a nurse whose family of english/euro descent and my father a busdriver turned metalsmith who emigrated here from Yugoslavia. I grew up in Kinglake in the hills just outside of Melbourne and became an Engineer working for the Bureau of Meteorology. The serious steering to my journey in craft started during and after an 11-month bicycle trip across Asia where I experienced quite the breadth of human experience, which gave contrast to the sheer privileged I have of being born in a first-world, mostly egalitarian country.
I first became interested in craft growing up with my father being a metalsmith and working with his hands, and it became a normal thing to do.
What are some unusual places you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from curves in nature, the varying weight and entasis of a black line drawn with an ink charged brush, in the imaginings of how people will use my work, in the forms of the human body that have evolved, such as the shape of bones where they join together, the texture of tool marks on the timber.
If we walked into your studio, what would we see you working on right now?
You would see me carving bowls from silver birch.
In response to COVID-19, a lot of people have re-evaluated the way they work. What impact has the pandemic had on your practice? Were they positive or negative? Have you adopted any new skills or techniques that you otherwise may not have?
Well, it has not allowed me to continue the work I had planned. I have instead done a deep dive into improving my drawing and painting skills. Overall this will take my work in other directions and allow me to incorporate applied colour into my woodcraft, diversify my practice into producing paintings and build foundational skills I require to start constructing fresco.
Who is an underrepresented artist we should be looking at right now?
My Friend Bre (@studiosouthdesign), who does excellent illustration/printing and watercolours.
Thank you for your time, Eli! We look forward to seeing you in this year's Virtual Open Studios!
Interview by Eloise Sim, Curatorial and Programs Assistant