Leyla Taranto
Leyla Taranto of toz design is an jewellery designer.
Taranto received her BA in Sociology, between 2000-2003 she studied jewellery craftsmanship under the accomplished Z. Erol before earning a joint diploma in Design Culture & Management in 2008 from Istanbul’s Bilgi University and the Domus Academy of Milan.
In 2006, Taranto established her own brand -toz design. Using mainly traditional materials and techniques she also experiments with the use of non-traditional, alternative materials and methods — combining the two for unique pieces.
EDUCATION
1979 – 1984
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a pedagogical formation and initial teacher
training from the University of Istanbul.
1984 – 1990
Several courses and seminars on art, art history, Ottoman jewellery, calligraphy, enameling.
2000 – 2003
Study of jewellery craftsmanship under Zeynep Erol, an accomplished Turkish jewellery designer and artisan.
2003 – 2004
Design Culture and Management Programme
Bilgi University – Istanbul.
2008
Joint diploma in Design Culture & Management from Bilgi University of Istanbul and the Domus Academy of Milan. Research project explored creative new applications of an indigenous stone, oltu, used mainly in manufacturing jewellery.
SHOWS – PROJECTS - EXHIBITIONS
2022 CLUSTER JEWELLERY FAIR, LONDON Leyla Taranto, the founder of Galeri Santim and the designer of the brand Toz Design, is exhibiting her works in London. Unique pieces, wearable works of art, and extraordinary contemporary jewelery examples that go beyond the traditional will be exhibited at the Cluster Jewelery Fair, which will be held on 09-11 December.
2022 GALLERY OF ART IN LEGNICA / POLAND Hand-in-hand necklaces Old Town Hall Modrejewska Theatre
2022 DBC INTERNATIONAL ART CENTER, BEIJING / CHINA Shape of Nature exhibition
2021 Launched her online store GALERİ SANTİM, using that opportunity to give the same name to her five-year old gallery in Istanbul.
2021 PAINFUL HOPE exhibitions LILLE / FRANCE & MADRID / SPAIN
2021 JERUSALEM BIENALLE, ISRAEL The exhibition is part of the 5th edition of The Jerusalem Biennale, which will take place in November-December 2021 under the title of Four Cubits. The participants of the exhibition raise questions about the seam line that separates a break as a short period, as a space between actions and inaction, and our breakdown as individuals and as a society. ''A threshold is both figuratively and literally a point after which a transition begins. It is the moment or position of stillness between one physical or emotional place and another. For the exhibition “Between a break and a breakdown: Jewelry as a mirror of our time” which is a part of the 5th edition of The Jerusalem Biennale, my brooch, necklace and earrings reflect on the theme ‘adaptation’. I chose aluminium threshold materials, sold in metres and used at bases of doors between rooms. These aluminium strips cover seams between rooms that tell us that change is afoot, they smooth over the difference, they make the transition less jarring. In a sense, they facilitate adaptation to the new space. But they are themselves a constant reminder of the transition and the adaptation that will follow.'' Leyla Taranto
2020 Participated as a panelist to DESIGN WEEK TURKEY on the subject of "BEYOND LUXURY: Contemporary Turkish jewelry"- 15 November 2019
2020 Joined the first virtual jewelry week -ATHENS JEWELRY WEEK, as a member of the Jewelry Links collective 10 -15 November 2020
2020 First online exhibition of Jewelry Links collective “BREATH”
2019 GROUP EXHIBITION - at the Kameleon Concept Store and Gallery 'JEWELRY LINKS' is preparing for their second Istanbul exhibition at KAMELEON Gallery. You are invited to the opening of our jewelry collective's exhibition at Kameleon from 6pm till 8 pm September 12, Thursday which goes on until November 10. JEWELRY LINKS: Şenay Akın, Hakan Aktuğ, Feyzal Baykut, Burcu Büyükünal, Ela Cindoruk, Gözde Erdoğan, Ezgi Okur, Gülnur Özdağlar, Selen Özus, Nazan Pak, Burcu Sülek, Leyla Taranto, Aişegül Telli, Deniz Turan KAMELEON Müellif Sok. 5-7 Beyoğlu, İstanbul - (212) 293 2420
2019 ‘LOOT : MAD About Jewelry We are delighted to announce the participation of Istanbul-based toz design, along with 54 international makers, in LOOT: MAD About Jewelry 2019 from 9 - 13 April at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City. LOOT is an annual exhibition that introduces remarkable number of emerging and renowned international jewelry artists. Now in its 19th edition, LOOT is testimony to the museum's commitment to collecting and exhibiting jewelry as an art form. MAD is the only American museum that maintains a gallery devoted to the exhibition of temporary jewelry shows, as well as its own extensive collection of contemporary and modern studio and art jewelry. toz designer Leyla Taranto will showcase Remains, her inventive limited-edition series of pins and brooches, necklaces, earrings and cufflinks fashioned from discarded pieces of wooden picture frames. Visitors will be able to purchase artist-made jewelry at the show and meet its creators who will be on-site at the exhibition throughout the week. Museum of Arts & Design Jerome and Simona Chazen Building New York, NY 10019 Visiting Hours: Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10 am – 6 pm, Thurs: 10 am – 9 pm
2019 JOYA Barcelona Art Jewellery & Objects Our 6th exhibition as 'Jewelry Links' opens today at Taller de Joyeria El Lavadero at 8pm. OFF JOYA Barcelona exhibition can be visited till October 13th. JOYA Barcelona Art Jewellery & Objects is the main art jewellery and art objects event in Spain. Gathering a great number of independent artists as well as related organizations, schools and other entities. JOYA, in its 11th edition will be focused on the communicative and diplomatic meaning of the art jewellery and objects in nowadays. OFF JOYA - As every year, JOYA extends the range of artistic jewellery to the public. For this reason, it has created a jewelry exhibition circuit in the best galleries and cultural spaces of the city of Barcelona. @EL LAVADERO Calle Sant Rafael 14, local. 08001 El Raval, Barcelona
2018 ECPN GALLERY JEWELRY LINKS HAS ARRIVED AT ITS HOME TURF! Our 4th exhibition as Jewelry Links the Turkish Contemporary Jewelry Collective will take place at Istanbul. Our collective formed by 14 designers, aims to promote Turkish contemporary jewelry in Turkey and abroad. We are more than happy to invite you to this fourth exhibition of Jewelry Links at ECNP gallery. 29 November 2018 - 5 January 2019. Designers: Şenay Akın, Hakan Aktuğ, Nevin Arığ, Burcu Büyükünal, Ela Cindoruk, Gözde Erdoğan, Ezgi Okur, Gülnur Özdağlar, Selen Özus, Nazan Pak, Burcu Sülek, Leyla Taranto, Aişegül Telli, Sinem Yıldırım Opening: 29 November 2018, Thursday 18:00-20:00hrs ECNP Galeri Ahmet Fetgari Sok. No 56-A Teşvikiye Istanbul TURKEY
2018 DESIGN WEEK TURKEY DOME CANDLE-HOLDERS AT DESIGN WEEK TURKEY – 2018! We are proud to be selected for this year’s Design Week Turkey for their fantastic “Genetic Codes of Turkish Design” exhibition with our 2009 “Dome” candle-holders –a fruitful collaboration of Koray Ozgen (Paris) and Leyla Taranto (toz design – Istanbul). Come and visit us at İstanbul Haliç Congress Center and stay for the many stimulating talks and panel discussions. Design Week Turkey – 16-18 November 2018 @ İstanbul Haliç Congress Center
2018 MUĞLAK ALAN (GREY AREA) Exhibition We are delighted to announce that toz design will participate in the Muğlak Alan (Grey Area) exhibition, curated by Nilgün Yüksel, from 19 April to 10 May 2018. The exhibition will bring together work by more than 35 artists and designers and include a work from Leyla Taranto’s Remains collection. Bringing together diverse materials, production methods and disciplines, it will question the ambiguous relationship between art and design today, as artists and designers increasingly cross in and out of each other's creative realms. The exhibition will ask questions that include: Is a one-off object produced by a designer still a 'design' object? How does the use of a functional object in artwork change how viewers perceive it? And, when a design object is placed in a white cube, does it then become an object of 'art'?"
2018 VIENNA ALJA&FRIENDS Contemporary Jewelry Gallery The third exhibition of Jewelry Links is at Vienna! With this show, we are pleased to announce the third exhibition of Jewelry Links –the Turkish contemporary jewelry collective, of which we are a member. Come and view work of 13 distinguished Turkish designers with creative ideas at this music filled magical city. The exhibition will be at Alja&Friends contemporary jewelry gallery from12th July till 11th August.
2018 Schwabisch Gmünd Stuttgart LABOR IM CHOR Gallery
2018 ECNP Gallery The ‘Jewelry Links – Mücevher Buluşturur’ exhibition brings together 13 contemporary Turkish jewellers. With this show, we are pleased to announce the debut exhibition of ‘Jewelry Links’ -the Turkish Contemporary Jewelry Collective, of which we are a member. Synthetic sponge, porcelain, wood, plastic, silicone and polyurethane are the non-typical materials used by 13 Turkish jewelry artists to make the precious adornments on view at the “Jewelry Links” exhibition in ’Labor im Chor’ Schwabisch Gmünd Stuttgart from March 8 – April 7, 2018. The show is the result of a collaboration between 'Labor im Chor’ gallerist Alkie Osterland and jeweler Senay Akin. The two have united the work of Turkish jewelers from diverse generations and backgrounds for this exhibition, which now introduces a body of stylistically and technically idiosyncratic pieces. In the process, the alliance of the 13 artists evolved into an independent, long-term contemporary jewelry collective that comes together under the rubric "Jewelry Links", the title of their first group show.As well as demonstrating continuing experimentation with unconventional materials, and their combination, at times, with precious materials, the show offers a look at some of the current trends that are animating Turkey's contemporary jewelry scene. The artists, who are all exhibiting at the Labor im Chor gallery for their first time, will also take part in “Melting Point”, the international contemporary jewelry show in Valencia between 26-29 April. The exhibition will also go up at the ECNP Gallery
2018 VALENCIA 'MELTING POINT‘ The second exhibition of ‘Jewelry Links is at Melting Point Valencia Contemporary Jewellery Biennial. We are pleased to announce the second exhibition of the Turkish Contemporary Jewelry Collective ‘Jewelry Links’ will take place in Valencia from 26 April through 29 April 2018. The Melting Point 2018 Valencia Biennial brings together contemporary jewellery designers with the mission of presenting the richness and diversity of contemporary jewellery. We have the great pleasure to invite you to join us on this celebration of exhibitions, conferences, activities and performances which will be spreading throughout the city of Valencia!. The venue for ‘Jewelry Links’ exhibition: Museo de la Ciudad, Hall 3b Opening day and time: 26 April 2018 – 1600 hrs.
2017 Jury member of the 3rd NATIONAL JEWELLERY COMPETITION.
Marmara University School of Jewellery Technology and Design.
2017 VENICE DESIGN Highly praised jewellery collection REMAINS by designer Leyla Taranto of toz design remains on view at VENICE DESIGN 2017 through November 26, 2017. One of the first contemporary jewellery designers invited to participate in Venice Design 2017, Istanbul’s toz design continues to showcase Remains, her inventive collection of brooches and necklaces fashioned from discarded pieces of wooden picture frames. The exhibition presents the innovative ideas of more than 50 artists and designers, hailing from 20 countries around the globe. We are delighted to announce that for the first several months of the six-month show, toz has been receiving the kudos of international visitors for its unconventional material concept and the high quality of its craftsmanship. Visitors can view the exhibition, including Remains, through November 26, with early fall being the most idyllic time of year to visit the city of Venice. Toz invites you to experience the multicultural design exhibition in the context of the historical city and the concurrent Venice Art Biennial, which also runs through November 26.
2016 INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ISTANBUL ART FAIR thru 3-6 November 2016 Leyla Taranto of toz design has been invited to exhibit at the international contemporary art fair Contemporary Istanbul (CI)’s new space dedicated to art and design for its 2016 fair. This first edition of "CI Design" has been an opportunity for Taranto to show her latest collection Remains, consisting of brooches/pins made out of production leftovers of wooden picture frames.
2016 She opened her own gallery
2015 Exhibited at ART AND CRAFT fairs in the Turkish cities BURSA and ANKARA.
2015 Featured as a guest designer at one of the ISTANBUL MODERN MUSEUM shop’s monthly Design Meetings, each of which highlights creative topics and individuals
2015 BOBBIN SHOWROOM 'BULUSMA VI The 6th annual BULUSMA shopping event is on this year on 16-17-18-19 December 2015 from 11:00-19:00 at the Bobbin Showroom in Nisantasi. The New Years shopping event will feature Leyla Taranto-toz design with jewellery collections and new designs. Other designers at Bulusma this year include Dilek Aksu and her kaftan designs, Örge Tulga’s jewellery designs, Özlem Tuna's jewellery, ceramic, decorative object designs and ceramic designs from Mara Gülerşen. We hope to see you there, soon! Bobbin Showroom - Tesvikiye Bostan Sokak No: 13/3, Nisantasi, İstanbul
2015 SALTWATER: A theory of thought forms The 14th Istanbul Biennial 'SALTWATER: A Theory of Thought Forms', organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), drafted by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, could be seen from 5 September to 1 November 2015 in over 30 venues on the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus, from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, from Beyoğlu to Büyükada, from Rumelifeneri to the old city and from Şişli to Kadıköy. Istanbul Modern is one of the spaces reserved for the 14th Istanbul Biennial, hosting many noteworthy artists from around the world. While cruising for art, we suggest you have a look at the Museum Shop that is beautifully redecorated, showcasing selected designers’ pieces along with toz design’s JEWELLERY AND CANDLE HOLDERS.
2014 'SILHOUETTES' Solo Exhibition - SİYAH BEYAZ Gallery SILHOUETTES: Capturing Shadows exhibition of toz design’s Silhouettes jewellery collection is now in Ankara! After a successful exhibition at Istanbul’s SODA gallery last month, the modern couture jewellery will now be available for art lovers who live in the capital. The exhibition will run from May 23 until June 5, 2014 at Siyah Beyaz Galeri with an opening reception May 23, 2014 Friday, 18:00.
2014 'SILHOUETTES' Solo Exhibition - SODA Gallery Exhibited a series of pieces based on, and named for, a 19th century portraiture method. Silhouettes: Capturing Shadows.
2012 Invited by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture & the Arts (IKSV) to contribute to an exclusive collection, celebrating its 40th anniversary.
2011 Work selected for inclusion in the 2011 Destination: Istanbul project at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) and Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo (MoMA).
2010 'HULALOOP' Solo Exhibition ECPN at the ECNP (elacindoruknazanpak) jewellery design studio and gallery in Istanbul
2009-2019 During a collaboration with Paris-based industrial designer Koray Ozgen, designed and produced the Dome candle holders made from traditional Turkish materials, marble and copper, exhibited at: 2019 Le Bon Marche Imaginaire Galerie; 2010 Martha Herford Museum, Germany during the Spagat’! Design exhibition; 2018 Design Week Turkey; 2019 Group Exhibition – Genetic Codes of Turkish Design. Heimtextil Fair, Frankfurt.
2009-2015 GROUP EXHIBITION– BULUŞMA (RENDEZVOUS) A yearly exhibition (6 consecutive years) by a group of artist and designers, from textile designers to glass, ceramic, fashion and jewellery designers at Bobbin Studio, Istanbul.
2006 Established her brand, toz design, in ISTANBUL.