SO MINT! LOLA RUST

Current Obsession: What story or idea does your graduation work explore, and why was it important for you to tell it now?

Lola Rust: My graduation work explores the reinterpretation of traditional fairy tales – Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid and The Little Match Girl – through a sculptural and performative approach. These stories, deeply rooted in our collective imagination, often carry sexist or restrictive morals concerning the female condition. At this moment in time, it felt essential to revisit these narratives and reclaim women’s strength, voice and complexity beyond inherited stereotypes.

Through hybrid objects that combine jewellery, accessories and installations, the work seeks to open a dialogue between the body and the narrative, inviting reflection on empowerment, memory and identity. It is also a personal tribute to the women in my life and those around me, whose stories have nourished me, and a way of passing on a message of resistance and renewal to the current generation.

CO: Who or what has shaped your practice in unexpected ways?

LR: My practice has been unexpectedly shaped by the rich visual and cultural world my family created around me. My grandmother’s stories sparked my imagination early on, my father introduced me to 1980s animation such as Goldorak and instilled in me a love for craftsmanship, my mother immersed me in fashion and galleries, and my sister’s creativity filled our home with drawings and colour. Growing up in this environment allowed the artist within me to quietly emerge.

What surprises me most is how my early love for dance and storytelling through movement has evolved into the creation of objects. I now tell stories through hybrid forms – jewellery, sculpture, installation – that engage in intimate dialogue with their wearer or viewer. This unexpected shift from body to object, from performance to material, gives my work a sense of poetic vitality. Each piece becomes a living story, inviting imagination, emotion and personal connection.

CO: Does your work reflect or respond to a cultural context or issue that’s personal to you?

LR: Yes, my work deeply reflects personal and cultural contexts, particularly as a woman shaped by inherited narratives and social challenges. Growing up among strong women who often faced obstacles has both shaped and nourished me. These experiences, far from being limitations, have become sources of strength and creativity.

As an artist, what I have received – in stories, symbols and visions – has profoundly influenced me, and I now feel a deep desire to pass this on. I want to offer children, especially young girls, alternative images and narratives that embody empowerment and resilience. My work invites a rethinking of feminine strength – not as an aggressive struggle, but as a gentle, creative force capable of transforming hardship into inspiration and emancipation.