Yarina dAI
Jewelry + Metalsmithing MFA
Rhode Island School of Design
Graduates: 2024
Specialisms: Jewelry / Contemporary Craft / Sculpture
My location: Wenzhou, China
Yarina dAI
First Name: Yarina
Last Name: dAI
University / College: Rhode Island School of Design
Course / Program: Jewelry + Metalsmithing MFA
Graduates: 2024
Specialisms: Jewelry / Contemporary Craft / Sculpture
My Location: Wenzhou, China
About
Yarina Dai is a contemporary jewelry artist whose work blends nature, technology, and bioengineering to envision a future of harmonious coexistence. Inspired by the healing power of nature, laboratory visits, and virtual reality, Yarina Dai explores speculative worlds where plants, bioengineered as wearable companions, assist humans. Through innovative processes like 3D printing and AI video, their jewelry addresses themes of reliance, addiction, mental health, and the ethics of artificial intervention in natural evolution. Yarina Dai earned a BFA in Metals and Jewelry from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022, followed by an MFA in Jewelry + Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design in 2024, receiving the Glancy Award and RISD’s 2024 Fine Arts Graduate Award.
I explore how human desires to control and anthropomorphize nature intersect with technological augmentation, particularly in plants and living entities. This investigation examines how empathy towards these creations can lead to fears of uncontrollability and tech dependence. Inspired by MIT’s Media Lab and Tufts University’s Silklab, I delve into bioengineering and genetic modification, pondering the ethical implications of creating bioengineered wearables. Set in 2300, my speculative world features Naturify, a biotech firm advancing genetically engineered living jewelry. My work blends current realities with visionary futures, questioning how far we should alter natural evolution while balancing innovation with respect for nature.
Competitions
