Eko Wright is a self-taught artist who crafts jewelry by using the technique of metalsmithing. Her necklaces and earrings materials are primarily composed of sterling silver wires and sheets. Her artwork aims to remind everyone to escape and enjoy the environment around them, rather than being consumed by their daily lives. Eko creates minimalistic and geometric designs based on her Japanese origin and their aestheticism motto – less is more. This leads her to work with simple, clean lines, similar to the Japanese practice of Zen.
Born in the countryside town of Hokkaido, Eko was surrounded by nature. For example, there is an annual festival that happens in Japan called Tanabata, of two stars which represent two lovers who are only able to meet once a year. She would go outside to experience the rare occurrence. She then would engage in the activity of writing down her wish onto a piece of rectangular paper and hanging it on the tallest bamboo tree, hoping for it to come true. There was never a dull moment when she looked at the sky, seeing fireworks, trails of comets, peeking at a part of the universe during nighttime. The sky emits a mystical, ethereal feeling in the process of gazing up, and feeling how tiny one can be compared to the vast galaxy. Eko’s childhood serves as an important inspiration towards her jewelry making.
The two main lines of Eko’s jewelry are her Galaxy and Botanical collections, in respect to the universe and nature. Her Galaxy collection is known for features such as circular designs with sparkling stones. Eko’s necklace Vespera from the collection contains nine different sized circles, representing the nine planets of our galaxy. The sparkling stone in the necklace symbolizes the stars in the universe, carrying Eko’s intention to have the wish of the carrier come true. Eko also creates half moon necklaces in relation to our Luna in the sky. (Fun fact – her posts promoting her moon jewelry variations follow the phases of the moon.) Her Botanical collection relates to the natural world. They are made by folding and hammering pieces of silver sheets. This collection is her favorite because she does not have complete control over how designs are formed on the hammered silver. When the sheets are unraveled, the outcomes are a surprise for her as well. The process parallels the unpredictable nature of Earth. Eko is working on a new line in relation to the sun, the Corona collection.
Eko joined the nonprofit organization, San Francisco Women Artists, due to her interest in feeling a supportive environment for artist members. Not only that, she loves being around the community and contributing to the promotion as well as the learning of art. Her role in SFWA is volunteer staffing at the gallery. Eko is also a part of the City Art Cooperative Gallery, located in San Francisco.
Interview summary by Jiawen (Karmi) Xie, 2018 SFWA Intern.
