Meet Kina Hassan | Jewellery Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kina Hassan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kina Hassan, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Pay attention to what your body’s trying to tell you and listen closely to your intuition. No matter how challenging things get, if it’s something you’re really meant to do it will feel right. It is okay to take a break from time to time when it gets overwhelming, but return to it when you’re ready and keep at it. Remember to surround yourself with the right people, look for the right environment, and go where you want to grow.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m currently running my contemporary jewellery practice called WASIS Studio in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia inspired by the everyday; by the what was that becomes the what is. I’m a Malaysian self-taught jewellery artist, informally trained by by jewellery artist in Bangkok and Istanbul. This has influenced the way I create my pieces in the sense that my work is not limited by conventional ways of designing and making jewellery. At the moment, I’m most excited about relocating my practice to my hometown in Terengganu, a small coastal state on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is a beautiful place that’s rich with traditional and local cultures where I’m looking forward to kickstart my collaboration projects with the local artisans.

I decided to quit my job to do jewellery full time at the end of 2019, just a few months before the whole world shut down due to the pandemic. To say that it was challenging was an understatement, but we managed to push through especially when I was selected as one of the beneficiaries of a grant for craft in metalworks. It helped a lot with sustaining the practice and getting promotional work done during the challenging period and things just grew from there. It wasn’t easy but the experience taught me that if you have faith and keep going there will be a way out. Keep looking for doors of opportunities and if you can’t find it, build it yourself.

Despite coming from a rural background and currently based in a small country, my pieces carry universal stories of the human experience and there are many similarities in our differences. My traditional, rural childhood experience informs my current modern, urban approach to thinking and creating so there is always some paradox in my work that creates room for contemplation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I’m relocating I’ll give you the itinerary for Terengganu, you might end up wanting to stay longer than a week! In Terengganu we have two seasons, the hot season (between April – September) and the monsoon season (between October – March). This is a hot season itinenary 🙂

If you’re taking a flight, your trip will begin in the capital town called Kuala Terengganu. Start your day with a local breakfast called Nasi Dagang; a dish of rice steamed with coconut milk, ginger, shallots, fenugreek, eaten with local tuna curry and cucumber pickles. For lunch, you can have Nasi Kerabu (blue rice with finely shredded fresh leaves and toasted coconuts with condiments and grilled chicken/fish/lamb) or you can try the local village style mixed rice dishes at one of the many eateries serving this specifically for the lunch crowd. For tea, enjoy the local kuehs (sweetcakes) and the local’s favourite, fish or seafood tempura by the sea with fresh coconut or ABC (shaved ice drink). Being by the sea, we have a lot of fish and seafood-based dishes – you’ll be spoilt for choice! Have dinner at one of the seasides or riversides grilled fish places, but if you’re already in the mood for Western food checkout Oliva Cafe helmed by an Australian-trained local chef. There are also many local dishes that are vegetarian and vegan-friendly, just ask me for recommendations.

While in Kuala Terengganu, check out Pasar Kedai Payang (our ‘grand bazaar’) where you can find everything from local crafts and textiles, traditional snacks, antiques, gold jewellery, to fresh produce. If you’d like to see how to local crafts are made, you can visit the local brass makers, batik makers, keris makers etc. Some will even let you try your hands at making them. Don’t miss the Terengganu State Museum up on the hill by the river to admire the architecture apart from the vast textile and jewellery collection. If you feel like having a drink at night, head to Chinatown or one of the Chinese bars/restaurants.

Many visitors use this town as a gateway to the many beautiful islands in Terengganu like Kapas Island, Redang Island, and Perhentian Island. We have some of the best diving sites in the world, so if you feel like going on a diving or snorkelling trip or just want to spend a day or two chilling on the island, trips can easily be arranged. If you just want to stay on the mainland, there are so many beautiful beaches you can visit and there are so many beachside cafes and coffee places popping up now.

I’d recommend you to drive up to Penarik to visit Terrapuri (The Land Of Palaces), a conservation and restoration project of Terengganu Malay classic houses and palaces that feature 29 antique house that are over 100 years old. The layout of the resort is inspired by the 17th century Terengganu palace and its surrounding. You can spend the night there or just opt for a tour of the grounds. One of the most interesting people you can meet in Terengganu is Alex Lee, the owner of Terrapuri who spent over 20 years collecting these houses. He has impressive knowledge of traditional Terengganu architecture and culture and his team can arrange experiential trips for those who are interested to take part in the local cultures.

Another interesting person you should know in Terengganu is Rohani Longuet, a French lady who sailed to Terengganu from France in the 70s to learn boat-making from the locals at Pulau Duyong and ended up staying after marrying one of the boat makers. Together with her late husband, she set up riverside chalets on the bank of Terengganu river that’s a favourite among visiting foreign artists who sometimes end up staying for months. She has also set up a library as extension to her house in the village that carries rare books and is open to public.

These are just some highlights of the things you can do in Terengganu, I’m so tempted to give you more haha!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Reading the book “Daring Greatly” by Brené Brown has allowed me to access my deepest self and give myself the permission to be unapologetically me, accepting my true calling and “Creative Confidence” by Tom & David Kelley gave me the courage to pursue the life and the creative path that I’ve been dreaming of. I owe my deepest gratitude to my late mother who supported and allowed me to move across the world to pursue my dream despite not fully understanding why.

This move brought me to my teacher, Turkish jewellery artist Selen Özus, who introduced me to the world of contemporary jewellery and I have a lot to thank her for. A big thank you also to Nelissa Hilman who believes in my work and gave me my first collaboration opportunity that has opened up doors to so many exciting experience and still continue to collaborate with me until today. Last but not least, my biggest love and deepest appreciation goes to my hype man, my husband Ashraf who’s been really patient and supportive of my work despite me spending very long hours in the studio for days on end at times.

Website: www.wasisstudio.com

Instagram: @wasisstudio @kinakinahassan

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wasisstudio