Nejat Kavvas

A diverse and dynamic convocation of sculptural pieces provides the viewer with a true sense that these works are playfully in conversation with each other. Kavvas’ Bar Tailed Godwit, cast in bronze with a layered patina, in full flight with wings extended and exuding a sense of weightlessness that defies the weight of its material, playfully dances alongside the sculptural and geometric forms of his Let There Be Light series in vibrant cast glass and the captivating Summit 5, a luminescent and enticing tower of deep blues and vivid reds.

Kavvas says, “I try to create artworks with personality; to transmit sensations by using elements of fiction or fantasy”.

Inspired by leading glass-casting artist Jo Nuttall, and encouraged by architect Ron Sang, Kavvas, who grew up in Turkey “at the heart of history”, became a full-time artist 13 years ago. At first, he learned figurative sculpture at Florence Art Academy before travelling the crystalline corridor to, among others, the Pilchuk Glass School in Seattle, California Technical University in California and the Stipglass School in The Netherlands.

Kavvas can look back on a diverse and successful career. A trained pharmacist, he morphed into the role of businessman, at one stage importing glass into New Zealand, however he is probably best known for his long-time ownership of Eastern Rug Gallery. Drawing on his eye for colour and form, he also set up TechLoom, a computerised analytical system for plotting weaving patterns.  In addition to the 400 plus rug and carpet designs that he has created, he has also accepted commissions for rugs based on paintings by many New Zealand painters such as Ralph Hotere, Des Robertshaw, John Papas, and Peter James Smith.

Based in Auckland, Kavvas’ studio is a haven of industrial artfulness, a place where he has designed a kiln large enough to accommodate his grander visions. It’s a world where Kavvas draws together the cultural threads of his past, his energetic present, and an exploratory future.

This is his happy place, his “lolly shop”.