Yılmaz Şen | Görsel Sanatçı & Yönetmen
- Tuna Mert
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Visual artist, VFX designer, and director Yılmaz Şen, who continues his practice in Copenhagen, reimagines the boundaries of the physical world and the rules of gravity through digital tools. Şen’s work combines 3D scanning, animation, and visual effects to transform unpredictability and physical limits into an aesthetic language. From live performances to fashion campaigns, his projects make the uncontrollable controllable, evoking both awe and curiosity in the viewer.
Interview: Tuna Mert Topuz
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you started your journey as a visual artist and director?
I’m from Istanbul and have been living in Copenhagen for the last 8 years. I studied industrial product design at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, but never really worked in that field. Instead, I got more and more involved with animation during my studies. I started making live visuals in nightclubs, music festivals, and designed stages, then I slowly transitioned to VFX. At the beginning, I was experimenting with techniques such as 3D camera solves, 3D scans, animation, and compositing, then I was uploading them to my personal social media accounts. Some of my works went viral, and brands started to reach out for collaborations. That’s how my career took off.
Your work often challenges physical and conceptual boundaries. How do you approach exploring gravity, limits, and unpredictability in your creative process?
Working with gravity, physical limits, and unpredictability is something that would normally need huge budgets if you tried to shoot it for real. VFX gives me a way to push those ideas without worrying about what’s physically possible. Suddenly, I have all these parameters I can control, and it feels natural for me to instrumentalize them to be able to evoke the feelings I want.
You incorporate techniques like 3D scanning, VFX, and sound design in your projects. How do these elements shape the storytelling in your work?
I usually start by exploring the techniques themselves, how they behave, and where their limits are. Once I understand that, the storytelling grows inside those boundaries. It keeps the process efficient, and it lets the tools shape the rhythm and the logic of the piece instead of just decorating it.
You have a strong collaboration with brands, merging your artistic vision with fashion. How does working in the fashion world influence your interdisciplinary approach to art and design?
Working in fashion comes with its own set of codes. Most clients want the product and its qualities to be clearly visible, so that naturally shapes how I build the idea. Some brands are more open and let the concept take the lead, which is great, but generally, the focus is on why their product is different. The pace is also fast and the visuals need to catch attention immediately, because that’s the reality of how people look at content now. I try to respond to that without losing my own taste or visual language. That balance is what kept me in this space. I also enjoy how fashion can trigger this sudden excitement in people. There’s something a bit magical about that, and I like tapping into it.
"Each client has their own world built from textures, colors, sound, and a very defined atmosphere. I try to step into that world first and then find the space where I can explore my own ideas inside it. The balance comes from placing my work in their universe, not fighting it, and still pushing it in a direction that feels like me."
How do you balance maintaining your own visual language and creative vision while working with brands that have a strong identity, like Balenciaga, Camper, and Samsøe Samsøe?
When I work with big brands, I accept that I won’t bring every part of my own voice into the project. Each client has their own world built from textures, colours, sound, and a very defined atmosphere. I try to step into that world first and then find the space where I can explore my own ideas inside it. The balance comes from placing my work in their universe, not fighting it, and still pushing it in a direction that feels like me. That's how I’ve been navigating these collaborations.
Looking back, which of your projects has been the most exciting for you, both in the design process and the outcome?
The most exciting one was the Spring 2019 ready-to-wear campaign for Balenciaga. It was basically my first big project, and the client gave me a lot of freedom to explore and pitch ideas. I felt trusted even though I didn’t have that kind of experience yet, and that meant a lot. Looking back, I can see things I would do better now, both technically and artistically, but at that time, I pushed as far as I could and tried to make something that felt unique. That combination of trust, freedom, and the moment I was in makes it my favourite.
