Iranian artist in San Francisco turns teeth into canvas with custom grill designs
Every artist has a different medium. For Ida Lajevardi, it's metal, and her canvas is teeth.
"No two designs are the same, especially if you handmake them, which I usually do. So every piece is unique to you," Lajevardi said.
Born and raised in Tehran, Lajevardi found an interesting and unexpected path to the art of grill making. She stumbled upon a photo of her paternal grandfather and grew curious about the gold teeth in his mouth.
"It really stuck with me, and I was like, ' Why are grills not a thing in Iran at all?' " she said.
Lajevardi was determined to teach herself how to make grills. Popularized by hip-hop culture, Lajevardi wanted to try her hand at creating a unique and artistic spin on the hardware that adorns teeth.
As it turned out, learning the craft proved difficult.
"The knowledge to make grills is very gatekept. So when I was trying to teach myself to make grills, I was having so much difficulty. I was reaching out to all these people who have been in the industry for a long time, and they're not willing to teach."
Lajevardi worked with a dentist and a dental lab technician to learn how to make impressions of teeth and researched how to refine her craft on the internet.
Eventually, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend college and studied industrial design, but grill-making became her full-time focus.
She created Yaaqee Studio in San Francisco, where she teaches workshops in which students can pay to learn to make their own grills.
Her inspiration comes from her homeland of Iran and her cultural identity. During a time of violent government crackdowns on protesters, and now war with the US and a communication blackout, Lajevardi has used her art as a creative outlet.
"It affects how I feel. It affects how I dress. It affects how I talk to people. It affects everything, and obviously, it affects my art, too," she said.
If you are interested in signing up for a workshop, visit Yaaqee Studio's website.
