Art is a limitless form of expression. It just leads to one good thing after the other. In this case, Danil Yad has been at it for most of his life—from design to sculpting down to collaborating with fellow artists. His trademark sculpt style has taken the art toy scene by storm and he is definitely growing his field of expertise further.
We’ve recently reached out to him and he’s taken the time off his hectic schedule to grace us with this conversation… Ladies and gents, please welcome Mr. Danil Yad.
To start things off, can you share with us what got you into sculpting? Was it a childhood pursuit that you love?
Creative activity has been an integral part of my life since childhood. This is especially true for sculpting. I’ve always been good at drawing, but to be honest, I’ve never treated my drawings like a final product. For me, this was an intermediate stage. On the contrary, in sculpture I am attracted by its versatility: shape, weight, material. Any figurine can be twisted in your hands and put on a shelf.
On creating stuff, from where do you gather the inspiration to create? Is it an instantaneous thing?
I often say that the best work is the work that hasn’t been done yet. It is this unknown before a new project that is the greatest inspiration for me.
What will I say in the end with my work? How will the finished figure look? Will I be able to say with my work what I intended at the start? These questions keep me working on new projects. Sometimes I immediately see the image in my head, and sometimes inspiration comes along on the way.
You’ve said that you continue to search for new ideas and build/develop your skills, can you share with us what keeps you going and inspired?
The very process of finding ideas is an inspiration to me. I am sure that all amazing projects are somewhere nearby and you just need to reach out to them.
On the other hand, you need to constantly develop in your work and grow. I believe that when I created the YARMS Studio with my team, it became a new level for me. The development of our project greatly inspires me too.
Can you share with us how you and Quiccs got in touch? Your project team ups are amazing!
I got to know Quiccs thanks to DpadDave. He is a big fan of Quiccs and he liked my work too. I was lucky to be able to contact Quiccs this way.
Quiccs wrote me a direct message on Instagram and offered to make two of his characters: Teq63 and Mariko. When I imagined how the characters would look live, this project completely captivated me. I really enjoy working with him. I think we have a lot of the same vision and therefore it is easy for us to work together.
Your tribute to certain creators and artists are just so refreshing to see. Can you share with us the story on why you did those? I have the Fashion Designer one and I can’t stop looking at it!
I think the creative world is interconnected. The achievements of one person can lead to the achievements of another. It looks like science. The discovery of one scientist can push his colleague to his own discovery. Everything in this world influences each other – including this is one of the things that we want to say with our Authors project.
Thank you for your words about Fashion Designer. Also be sure that there will be new Authors coming soon under the YARMS studio.
Who are your biggest influences with your art?
It is difficult for me to answer this question. Perhaps my father, my brothers, or my girlfriend. But as I said earlier, everything is interconnected.
If you had a dream collaboration who would it be with?
This will be a huge list. KAWS, Takashi Murakami, Daniel Arsham, Hajime Sorayama… I can remember many more. The main thing to remember is that everything is realizable, I see no obstacles in my work.
What do you think of the art toy scene in the Philippines from your perspective?
I think the Philippines is one of the largest art toys market. Many people from the Philippines support me.
I have seen vinyl toy collections in your country. This is incredible! When you know that there are people who are not indifferent to the culture of art toys, it gives me additional inspiration. I would like to visit the Philippines one day. I hope that soon the situation in the world will stabilize and it will be possible to do it.
Future plans for Danil Yad? Any message for our readers?
Now I am focused on the development of our YARMS Studio projects. I also gradually implement personal projects that were conceived a long time ago. I’m sure it will be interesting!
Thanks for your support! It is very important for me!
Speaking of art toys, you should also check out our convo with fast rising toymaker Evil Roy Studios here.
