We chat to the creative about their extraordinary body adornments and what inspires them
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“I make jewellery and wearable garments that blur the idea of how accessories can be worn on the body,” says Berlin-based creative Loki Dolor. They model many of their own creations on Instagram – extraordinary organic forms hanging from the nose, around eyes or mutating across the body in striking colour combinations.
These extreme body adornments are fascinating when still and the clips of them in motion make compulsive viewing. This is the evolution of their original practice – crafting hand-made masks as noted in the account bio, reflecting a background in graphic design and 3D modelling.
“I like to think about what we reveal and what we want to keep for ourselves on many levels,” Loki says, of how they want their work to function. From a tear-like under eyepiece to a full-blown face covering with cut-outs, they expand and contract according to their whims, with the butterfly as a recurring motif.
Here, we speak to Loki about scratching the surface to create, being inspired by Tekkonkikreet characters Kuro and Shiro, and hiding packages of hair, nails and spit as a child to be discovered in the future.
Where do you live/where are you from?
Loki Dolor: I was born from a Latina swan who mated with a French stork, hatched in France, before fleeing the nest to Athens for a Greek lover. Now, I’m currently living in Berlin.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you grew up?
Loki Dolor: I grew up in the countryside, it was beautiful but also very isolating. I always knew I wanted to travel and visit other places. I moved a bit around, for studies, for love, and now I’m an artist, I spend obviously most of my time overthinking. I like to visualise myself as an observer or as a lo-fi 3D printer.
What’s your earliest beauty related memory?
Loki Dolor: Watching horror movies with my cousins. I remember focusing on all the details of the make-up and masks and all the effort put in to make something look scary or deformed.
What is it you do and why do you do it?
Loki Dolor: I make jewellery and wearable garments that blur the idea of how accessories can be worn on the body. I started creating masks to hide behind which then developed into my current practice.
How did you get into it?
Loki Dolor: I come from a graphic design background. I learned the proper way to compose images and experiment with 3D modelling until I realised I needed to create out of the screen. I wanted to design with my hands differently, to come back to a more intuitive and sensitive practice. There is a kind of relaxing and therapeutic feeling when you engage your body into a creative process. It empties my mind, calms my nerves and my thoughts.
What is the story behind Loki Dolor?
Loki Dolor: When I scratch the surface with my nails, I discover underneath many layers to explore myself. It is a brutal eye-opener to understand the worlds I live in better. The wounds are alive, invisible and materialised into those forms I create. When they are worn by someone, it creates a specific relationship between them and become such a sensitive experience.
How would you describe your overall aesthetic?
Loki Dolor: Organic, delicate, unpredictable, in mutation.
“Intimacy is a very important subject for me. I like to think about what we reveal and what we want to keep for ourselves on many levels. I want my garments to reflect this back and forth movement somehow” – Loki Dolor
Who inspires you?
Loki Dolor: Courageous and passionate people, their stories, mythology, nature and death.
When do you feel most beautiful?
Loki Dolor: When I feel connected with my feelings, confident in who I am and how I look.
How do you assert your identity and experiences through your creations?
Loki Dolor: Intimacy is a very important subject for me. I like to think about what we reveal and what we want to keep for ourselves on many levels. I want my garments to reflect this back and forth movement somehow. On the other hand, they help me back to connect with people, especially while collaborating with other creatives, it’s interesting to see how we define those notions.
If not your body, is there anything you would want to leave behind? An artwork you haven't done yet, a book, a bloodline?
Loki Dolor: When I was a kid, I made small packages with my hair, nails and spit inside and hiding them in funny locations. I hoped they would be found after my death so someone could recreate me from my DNA. Since I discovered that nobody would want to do that and that the world doesn’t turn around me anymore, I changed my mind. So I would kindly try to leave nothing, even if it’s impossible as we are already pure garbage.
Which fictional character do you most relate to and why?
Loki Dolor: I’ve always had Tekkonkikreet characters Kuro and Shiro in mind. The two cats of the city they defend from external investors. I’m fascinated by their complex psychology and the absolute solidarity between them. They are codependent and so different, they have their own distorted perceptions of reality, I love them.
What is the future of beauty?
Loki Dolor: I see that boundaries are being pushed further in exciting directions. I want to see more people taking risks, being more playful and shameless.