Artists selected to be promoted along the year on Lost In Jewellery Magazine!
Brief Interview to Tanel Veenre
A Brief Interview by me to Tanel Veenre
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
It is the way to be in a dialogue with the world. I don't look for inspiration, it's there all the time.
Creative process itself is a source for ideas.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your artwork ?
I stand for the values that I believe as a human being: beauty, sensitivity, eros, faith.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
Lately I have been carving a lot of reconstructed stone and ebony. They both are kind of zero materials , just the density and color and big carved semiprecious stones.
I have been tired of narrative materials, so I look for the ones I can fill with meanings.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I am very material based, hands on thinker. It is a dialogue between me and materia, growing together.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final artwork itself ?
There isn't one without the other ... But I can't deny the brief pleasure if I have a finished piece and it is smarter than I imagined.
6. Is there an artist you prefer and why?
Hmmm ... I am addicted to the colors of being and that is my inspiration. It can be amazed by the drag culture or Instagram make-up artists, it can be body sculptures by Iris van Herpen or Graig Green, it can be piano concert by Rahmaninov ...
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other artists, or you like to work on your own?
I have been collaborating many times with fashion designers and currently there is a big collection on the way with my partner Aldo Järvsoo where I create the fabrics and he does the cuts. It should have been launched May 5th but it's postponed for autumn - which is a luxury, there hasn't ever been more time to prepare a collection.
But usually I prefer to be independent, freedom is one of my main motors.
8. Where do you feel you are at with this last collection ?
That is a good question ... usually the real meaning reveal while looking back at the things. It might that I will move again towards more narrative and mythological art ... let's see,
I don't plan much, I listen to my inner demons and live in a moment.
9. What have you discovered of yourself, are you sattisfied ?
I am so grateful and lucky ... life couldn't be much better. Running a jewellery brand besides an art career has been a challenge but it´'s paying back, it gives me freedom to be my own boss.
I appreciate that I can fill my days only with things I love.
10. Two words to describe your last artwork collection.
Light but voluptuous.
Tanel Veenre
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
It is the way to be in a dialogue with the world. I don't look for inspiration, it's there all the time.
Creative process itself is a source for ideas.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your artwork ?
I stand for the values that I believe as a human being: beauty, sensitivity, eros, faith.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
Lately I have been carving a lot of reconstructed stone and ebony. They both are kind of zero materials , just the density and color and big carved semiprecious stones.
I have been tired of narrative materials, so I look for the ones I can fill with meanings.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I am very material based, hands on thinker. It is a dialogue between me and materia, growing together.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final artwork itself ?
There isn't one without the other ... But I can't deny the brief pleasure if I have a finished piece and it is smarter than I imagined.
6. Is there an artist you prefer and why?
Hmmm ... I am addicted to the colors of being and that is my inspiration. It can be amazed by the drag culture or Instagram make-up artists, it can be body sculptures by Iris van Herpen or Graig Green, it can be piano concert by Rahmaninov ...
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other artists, or you like to work on your own?
I have been collaborating many times with fashion designers and currently there is a big collection on the way with my partner Aldo Järvsoo where I create the fabrics and he does the cuts. It should have been launched May 5th but it's postponed for autumn - which is a luxury, there hasn't ever been more time to prepare a collection.
But usually I prefer to be independent, freedom is one of my main motors.
8. Where do you feel you are at with this last collection ?
That is a good question ... usually the real meaning reveal while looking back at the things. It might that I will move again towards more narrative and mythological art ... let's see,
I don't plan much, I listen to my inner demons and live in a moment.
9. What have you discovered of yourself, are you sattisfied ?
I am so grateful and lucky ... life couldn't be much better. Running a jewellery brand besides an art career has been a challenge but it´'s paying back, it gives me freedom to be my own boss.
I appreciate that I can fill my days only with things I love.
10. Two words to describe your last artwork collection.
Light but voluptuous.
Tanel Veenre
Brief interview to silke spitzer
Interview by me to artist Silke Spitzer
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
The most comes from deep inside my body.
Somewhere between the rips and the guts – really !
That is where my inspiration lies. Things have just to be awakened.
It is an unlimited source of possibilities of ideas and hideaways.
Like a dwell that never dries out.
If there is one thing certain to me is that this dwell will never stop running.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I am communicating my personal values, joys and sorrows. Also parts of my soul and heart. I can't hide behind my pieces. As an exchange, I am hoping that the observers open their hearts and eyes too.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I really love to use material and also techniques that are accessible to everybody. I love the idea of creating from what I have. Starting from a pieces of scrap, some found metal or beautiful shape. I find in my daily life connects me with the world I live in.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Usually the material comes up to me in my daily life. Something I happen to stop on my way and I have a closer look at. Often I take found things home and collect them to maybe use them later . I value by color, texture, weight, shape, sound and smell.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Between the two my heart is balanced. I am really in love with the making.
As long as the final Artworkis concerned, I find a deep peace and joy in admiring other artists work.
With my own pieces I find it harder to be in peace with.
6. Is there an artist you prefer & admire and why?
As for now I am in love with the paintings of Jerry Zeniuk. I admire the quality of intuition and intention.
The plain color , the circle shapes, being placed so beautifully, the perfection of this just touches my heart.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artist, or do you like to work on your own.
I have to admit that I really enjoy the solitude of making jewellery. The jewellery scale and painting to me, is a very personal way to express myself, since I get easily distracted and manipulated by opinions, I realized that the quarantine of my own studio is really the best way to work. But I can easily see collaborations as an artist with bigger projects, group shows and such.
At the very moment, I am planning renovations on my house with an architect I knew before.
It is really nice to see how his architect mind and mine, maybe more playful and decorative ideas, can combine together. Hopefully we can see the results of this collaboration in a not so far future.
8. Where do you feel you are with your last Art Collection?
Very much at home and yet, at the very beginning.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years?
My artwork has always been a place to hide. For any of us it is important to find a way to express.
I often find peace and reflection in my work. Even though living as a self supportive artist is challenging and uncertain, it gives me all the strength to carry on. As I keep following my intuitions, I am realizing that I find myself living the life I have always dreamed of.
As an Artist?
I don't really see myself as an Artist.
I am just the human being I am.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Personal icons.
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
The most comes from deep inside my body.
Somewhere between the rips and the guts – really !
That is where my inspiration lies. Things have just to be awakened.
It is an unlimited source of possibilities of ideas and hideaways.
Like a dwell that never dries out.
If there is one thing certain to me is that this dwell will never stop running.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I am communicating my personal values, joys and sorrows. Also parts of my soul and heart. I can't hide behind my pieces. As an exchange, I am hoping that the observers open their hearts and eyes too.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I really love to use material and also techniques that are accessible to everybody. I love the idea of creating from what I have. Starting from a pieces of scrap, some found metal or beautiful shape. I find in my daily life connects me with the world I live in.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Usually the material comes up to me in my daily life. Something I happen to stop on my way and I have a closer look at. Often I take found things home and collect them to maybe use them later . I value by color, texture, weight, shape, sound and smell.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Between the two my heart is balanced. I am really in love with the making.
As long as the final Artworkis concerned, I find a deep peace and joy in admiring other artists work.
With my own pieces I find it harder to be in peace with.
6. Is there an artist you prefer & admire and why?
As for now I am in love with the paintings of Jerry Zeniuk. I admire the quality of intuition and intention.
The plain color , the circle shapes, being placed so beautifully, the perfection of this just touches my heart.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artist, or do you like to work on your own.
I have to admit that I really enjoy the solitude of making jewellery. The jewellery scale and painting to me, is a very personal way to express myself, since I get easily distracted and manipulated by opinions, I realized that the quarantine of my own studio is really the best way to work. But I can easily see collaborations as an artist with bigger projects, group shows and such.
At the very moment, I am planning renovations on my house with an architect I knew before.
It is really nice to see how his architect mind and mine, maybe more playful and decorative ideas, can combine together. Hopefully we can see the results of this collaboration in a not so far future.
8. Where do you feel you are with your last Art Collection?
Very much at home and yet, at the very beginning.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years?
My artwork has always been a place to hide. For any of us it is important to find a way to express.
I often find peace and reflection in my work. Even though living as a self supportive artist is challenging and uncertain, it gives me all the strength to carry on. As I keep following my intuitions, I am realizing that I find myself living the life I have always dreamed of.
As an Artist?
I don't really see myself as an Artist.
I am just the human being I am.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Personal icons.
brief interview to Samira goetz
A Brief Interview by me to Samira Goetz
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Since I’m a visual person, my inspiration comes from the things I see. Details of a house
discovered on a walk, the way a product is boxed, shapes and colors other artists deal with,
material samples…
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I use most basic geometric forms to investigate ambivalent phenomena of human behavior,
such as the need for affiliation and deliminination or the seeking for shelter.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
… at the moment it’s actually getting rid of concrete – I’ve been using it for quite a while
now. I also always had a preference for flat materials (like paper, sheet metal or wooden
board), yet the goal was challenging two-dimensionality. By bending or assembling I find my
way into objects
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
One example: For my last body of work I dealt with concrete, the emblematic building
material, not necessarily made to be used in jewellery. I’ve been experimenting with
cement, later with two component materials (epoxy based, ready to use) and finally with my
own mix (epoxy resin, cement & pigment). My material research and use reflect two basic
“technical” questions in jewellery: durability (can a material endure the movements of its
wearer) and lightness (in order to be wearable in the first place). The latter was a matter of
investigating how thin I can go while still maintaining a solid and strong look.
The solution I came up with is the “hidden hollow” of my necklaces and brooches.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Since I started to make jewellery I was always very determined about the final outcome
being a wearable piece. In that sense the final artwork is of great importance for me.
On the other hand the starting point of my making has never been an explicit idea or plan.
It has always been in the making, the process: the chosen material or form leads the way.
Drawing helps in understanding things. And the head, the thoughts, the words come later
along the way.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I love Benedikt Fischer’s work for its wittiness. His shell work feels so fun and effortless, I love it.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I’m a team person. I do my work on my own, but being around other creative minds means a
lot to me and nourishes my process. Also I teamed up with colleagues/friends to built really
ambitious exhibition projects, that could only be done with joint forces.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I consider myself very happy that my last body of work (Phases and Facades, DWELL) got me
a lot of attention and acknowledgement in the field. And it’s also the work I concluded my
education at the Munich Academy with. So I think it’s fair to say those pieces marked a
crucial point in my practice.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Like every professional: the longer you work in a field or discipline, the better you get to
understand how you as a person work best. For me it’s trusting in good things to happen
while I try out and experiment. It’s about catching that moment and being able to process
“lucky accidents”. Also I learned not to be so hard on myself, when things do not work out or
I have a current lack of inspiration and motivation. It’s just a phase, it passes by.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Bold & Decorative
Samira Goetz
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Since I’m a visual person, my inspiration comes from the things I see. Details of a house
discovered on a walk, the way a product is boxed, shapes and colors other artists deal with,
material samples…
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I use most basic geometric forms to investigate ambivalent phenomena of human behavior,
such as the need for affiliation and deliminination or the seeking for shelter.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
… at the moment it’s actually getting rid of concrete – I’ve been using it for quite a while
now. I also always had a preference for flat materials (like paper, sheet metal or wooden
board), yet the goal was challenging two-dimensionality. By bending or assembling I find my
way into objects
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
One example: For my last body of work I dealt with concrete, the emblematic building
material, not necessarily made to be used in jewellery. I’ve been experimenting with
cement, later with two component materials (epoxy based, ready to use) and finally with my
own mix (epoxy resin, cement & pigment). My material research and use reflect two basic
“technical” questions in jewellery: durability (can a material endure the movements of its
wearer) and lightness (in order to be wearable in the first place). The latter was a matter of
investigating how thin I can go while still maintaining a solid and strong look.
The solution I came up with is the “hidden hollow” of my necklaces and brooches.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Since I started to make jewellery I was always very determined about the final outcome
being a wearable piece. In that sense the final artwork is of great importance for me.
On the other hand the starting point of my making has never been an explicit idea or plan.
It has always been in the making, the process: the chosen material or form leads the way.
Drawing helps in understanding things. And the head, the thoughts, the words come later
along the way.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I love Benedikt Fischer’s work for its wittiness. His shell work feels so fun and effortless, I love it.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I’m a team person. I do my work on my own, but being around other creative minds means a
lot to me and nourishes my process. Also I teamed up with colleagues/friends to built really
ambitious exhibition projects, that could only be done with joint forces.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I consider myself very happy that my last body of work (Phases and Facades, DWELL) got me
a lot of attention and acknowledgement in the field. And it’s also the work I concluded my
education at the Munich Academy with. So I think it’s fair to say those pieces marked a
crucial point in my practice.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Like every professional: the longer you work in a field or discipline, the better you get to
understand how you as a person work best. For me it’s trusting in good things to happen
while I try out and experiment. It’s about catching that moment and being able to process
“lucky accidents”. Also I learned not to be so hard on myself, when things do not work out or
I have a current lack of inspiration and motivation. It’s just a phase, it passes by.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Bold & Decorative
Samira Goetz
brief interview to manon van kouswijk
1. Where is your inspiration coming from?
I draw inspiration from everywhere, from the world we live in, from museums, websites, the work of other artists, jewellery, fine art, folk art, design, craft, books, magazines, photography, the flea market, shop windows, traveling, going for a walk around the block. Probably not so much in nature, I am definitely more inspired by culture.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your artwork?
I look for possibilities to translate anything and everything into the language of jewellery in a way that I hope shifts or disrupts something in our thinking about what jewellery is and what it can be. As an artist who positions her practice within the field of contemporary jewellery, I am interested in iconic jewellery forms and motifs. I have reinterpreted the archetypal forms of for example the pearl chain and beaded necklace through a range of materials and processes. My jewellery practice extends to making exhibitions and publishing artist books which feature found and made photographs and drawings to trace and reimagine the presence of jewellery in private settings, in museums and in popular culture.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
I don't have a preferred material. Over time I have worked across a diverse range of materials, making processes and media including paper, wood, plastic, ceramics, glass etc. I also use drawing and photography as part of my practice. It is really the idea for a specific work that determines what form the work needs to have, what it needs to be made of and
how it needs to be mediated.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
The working process is different for each project, so it depends on the nature of the work and the idea I am working on how much time I will spend reading and researching information, material, images to support and inform the development of the work. This aspect of the work is definitely important to me. Without looking up sources and references for my work online or in my library the process would be less rich and the work less interesting. In the making of my artist books a lot of time goes into searching for images, mostly online, that for example show the basic principles of the beaded necklace as I have found it in other source material, from biology and mathematics to peas in a pod. Or images of jewellery in
different contexts, being handled, being worn, being on display.
5. Is it more important for you the process or the final artwork itself?
They are both equally important.
6. Is there an artist you prefer and admire and why?
There are so many artists I admire for different reasons I’m not quite sure where to begin..
A short list: Francis Alÿs, Gabriel Orozco, Ugo Rondinone, Sarah Lucas, Ceal Floyer, Martin Creed, Jeremy Deller, Lucy Sarneel, Camille Henrot.
I admire artists who work conceptually but in a way that is also poetic as well as political and who work across different media to express their ideas. I admire Lucy Sarneel’s jewellery work because she makes it seem so effortless, she has such
a strong authentic visual language that speaks through all her work whether they are large challenging pieces or smaller very wearable ones. She manages to avoid the tropes of jewellery, she even transcends them.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other artists or do you like to work on your
own?
I like working on my own but I also collaborate with other artists regularly. My artist books are all made in a very collaborative way, working on the photography and graphic design towards the final form of the book is something I am very much involved in and enjoy a lot as a process in which other people contribute to my work so that the
outcome is something I wouldn’t be able to achieve on my own. I also work with other artists on making exhibitions, on organising conferences etc. I work partime as a University lecturer as well which I view as a process of collaboration with colleagues and students, and I have just finished a proposal for a public sculpture commission working together with a
team of architects and artists. Looking at translating my work to that scale and context with them was a very interesting process.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last art collection?
My recent work further explores the shift that happens between a piece of jewellery being displayed in an exhibition or a domestic context, and being worn on the body. As part of this shift, something appears or disappears, as in my previous project of beaded necklaces that can be displayed in the shape of faces. When one of the necklaces is worn, its ‘face’ is no
longer visible. In my new project I extend the idea of the faces to other forms and motifs that can be worn as necklaces and that I make out of used plastic clothes hangers and plastic beads. This is very much a work in progress, I’m not quite sure where it will go and when it will be finished.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an artist along the years?
I know that from time to time (let’s say very few years) I have to stop everything and try to find a kind of empty space, to start from scratch with something I have never done before, to try and reinvent my work in some way, otherwise I lose interest in it. I have to keep discovering new things, if I’m not managing to do that I become quite restless and
dissatisfied.
10. Two words to describe your last artwork collection?
In progress.
I draw inspiration from everywhere, from the world we live in, from museums, websites, the work of other artists, jewellery, fine art, folk art, design, craft, books, magazines, photography, the flea market, shop windows, traveling, going for a walk around the block. Probably not so much in nature, I am definitely more inspired by culture.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your artwork?
I look for possibilities to translate anything and everything into the language of jewellery in a way that I hope shifts or disrupts something in our thinking about what jewellery is and what it can be. As an artist who positions her practice within the field of contemporary jewellery, I am interested in iconic jewellery forms and motifs. I have reinterpreted the archetypal forms of for example the pearl chain and beaded necklace through a range of materials and processes. My jewellery practice extends to making exhibitions and publishing artist books which feature found and made photographs and drawings to trace and reimagine the presence of jewellery in private settings, in museums and in popular culture.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
I don't have a preferred material. Over time I have worked across a diverse range of materials, making processes and media including paper, wood, plastic, ceramics, glass etc. I also use drawing and photography as part of my practice. It is really the idea for a specific work that determines what form the work needs to have, what it needs to be made of and
how it needs to be mediated.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
The working process is different for each project, so it depends on the nature of the work and the idea I am working on how much time I will spend reading and researching information, material, images to support and inform the development of the work. This aspect of the work is definitely important to me. Without looking up sources and references for my work online or in my library the process would be less rich and the work less interesting. In the making of my artist books a lot of time goes into searching for images, mostly online, that for example show the basic principles of the beaded necklace as I have found it in other source material, from biology and mathematics to peas in a pod. Or images of jewellery in
different contexts, being handled, being worn, being on display.
5. Is it more important for you the process or the final artwork itself?
They are both equally important.
6. Is there an artist you prefer and admire and why?
There are so many artists I admire for different reasons I’m not quite sure where to begin..
A short list: Francis Alÿs, Gabriel Orozco, Ugo Rondinone, Sarah Lucas, Ceal Floyer, Martin Creed, Jeremy Deller, Lucy Sarneel, Camille Henrot.
I admire artists who work conceptually but in a way that is also poetic as well as political and who work across different media to express their ideas. I admire Lucy Sarneel’s jewellery work because she makes it seem so effortless, she has such
a strong authentic visual language that speaks through all her work whether they are large challenging pieces or smaller very wearable ones. She manages to avoid the tropes of jewellery, she even transcends them.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other artists or do you like to work on your
own?
I like working on my own but I also collaborate with other artists regularly. My artist books are all made in a very collaborative way, working on the photography and graphic design towards the final form of the book is something I am very much involved in and enjoy a lot as a process in which other people contribute to my work so that the
outcome is something I wouldn’t be able to achieve on my own. I also work with other artists on making exhibitions, on organising conferences etc. I work partime as a University lecturer as well which I view as a process of collaboration with colleagues and students, and I have just finished a proposal for a public sculpture commission working together with a
team of architects and artists. Looking at translating my work to that scale and context with them was a very interesting process.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last art collection?
My recent work further explores the shift that happens between a piece of jewellery being displayed in an exhibition or a domestic context, and being worn on the body. As part of this shift, something appears or disappears, as in my previous project of beaded necklaces that can be displayed in the shape of faces. When one of the necklaces is worn, its ‘face’ is no
longer visible. In my new project I extend the idea of the faces to other forms and motifs that can be worn as necklaces and that I make out of used plastic clothes hangers and plastic beads. This is very much a work in progress, I’m not quite sure where it will go and when it will be finished.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an artist along the years?
I know that from time to time (let’s say very few years) I have to stop everything and try to find a kind of empty space, to start from scratch with something I have never done before, to try and reinvent my work in some way, otherwise I lose interest in it. I have to keep discovering new things, if I’m not managing to do that I become quite restless and
dissatisfied.
10. Two words to describe your last artwork collection?
In progress.
BRIEF INTERVIEW to KARIN SEUFERT
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
My life offers inspiration, it comes from all over but it is necessary to be open to get it.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork ?
Jewelry is important for the human beings! It adds something and it interacts while you wear
it.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
For nearly two decades I’m addicted to PVC, a material that is open for any interpretation. I
work exclusively with punched out small circles that I thread with different sewing and gluing methods,
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Since I mainly focus on PVC, my projects develop out of the possibilities connected to this
material. Otherwise I choose the material depending on how far its properties determine the
possibilities of expression.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The process, because of the transformation that happens during work surprises and offers
new possibilities, while the result is only a short moment of pleasure, before the emptiness calls for a
new project to start with, even when it feels good to hold in your hands what was in your mind
before.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer and admire and why ?
Daniel Kruger because of the surprising beauty in his work, Otto Künzli because of his
brilliant ideas combined with humor. Hella Jongerius because of her special and typical dutch
designs, Issey Miyake because of the elegancy in his textile creations, Hiroshi Sugimoto because of
his timeless and silent photography, Anish Kapoor because of his touching and often overwhelming
art etc.etc.etc.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
In my jewelry-work I prefer to work alone but I like to cooperate when it comes to show the
work, organize exhibitions, make contacts with galleries, find new channels to publish pieces and
come closer to the public.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Closer to where I want to be, but difficult to say where that should be. Each step I make let
me come closer, like in a big spiral where I started at the outer circle and approach the center with
each step.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I discovered that I prefer the so called ‘Hand work’, more the typically women work, instead
of advanced techniques. The process of making take a big part of my time and makes me content. The
input never stops, things surprise me and I like my profession a lot.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Minimalistic, concentrated
My life offers inspiration, it comes from all over but it is necessary to be open to get it.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork ?
Jewelry is important for the human beings! It adds something and it interacts while you wear
it.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
For nearly two decades I’m addicted to PVC, a material that is open for any interpretation. I
work exclusively with punched out small circles that I thread with different sewing and gluing methods,
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Since I mainly focus on PVC, my projects develop out of the possibilities connected to this
material. Otherwise I choose the material depending on how far its properties determine the
possibilities of expression.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The process, because of the transformation that happens during work surprises and offers
new possibilities, while the result is only a short moment of pleasure, before the emptiness calls for a
new project to start with, even when it feels good to hold in your hands what was in your mind
before.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer and admire and why ?
Daniel Kruger because of the surprising beauty in his work, Otto Künzli because of his
brilliant ideas combined with humor. Hella Jongerius because of her special and typical dutch
designs, Issey Miyake because of the elegancy in his textile creations, Hiroshi Sugimoto because of
his timeless and silent photography, Anish Kapoor because of his touching and often overwhelming
art etc.etc.etc.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
In my jewelry-work I prefer to work alone but I like to cooperate when it comes to show the
work, organize exhibitions, make contacts with galleries, find new channels to publish pieces and
come closer to the public.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Closer to where I want to be, but difficult to say where that should be. Each step I make let
me come closer, like in a big spiral where I started at the outer circle and approach the center with
each step.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I discovered that I prefer the so called ‘Hand work’, more the typically women work, instead
of advanced techniques. The process of making take a big part of my time and makes me content. The
input never stops, things surprise me and I like my profession a lot.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Minimalistic, concentrated
brief interview to Hye Jung Sin
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ? à I am inspired by nature. I like to express natural shapes, textures, and colors in various techniuqes of metal craft.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork? à I am interested in re-creating a dying nature in metal. The natural things I express in my work look soft and fragil. I create my works, agonizing over how I express their soft beauty in cold metal.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ? à I usually use sterling silver. Its brilliant color has wonderful charms to inspire my imagination infinitely. It is a proper material to express organic shapes of nature and its eternal beauty. In my ‘Nature of Others’ series, I used natural things directly as objets (after drying natural things, I coated them with resin, and then used them with silver). The natural things I used present a new visual beauty in harmony with silver.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations? à New materials are always interesting. But what is most important in my work is if a new material is proper for me to re-create the subject I try to express newly.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself? à Usually, I work following my first sketch. But sometimes there are cases in which my pieces are made differently. I like to describe the beauty of nature, so I always stay away from artificial shapes, textures, and colors. While I make a piece, I sometimes omit or exaggerate some shape impromptu. Thus, for me, the process of making a process matters.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ? à Leonard Urso is a professor at R.I.T. in the US. I learned a lot from him as a student. He is my mentor who has encouraged and heartened me to develop as an artist. The subject matter of his work is the human body. He puts an outstanding sculptural beauty in his work. Most of all, his works give off a warm and beautiful human love, which is very impressive to me who is an artist who portrays nature. His poetic beauty has influenced my work.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own? à I look forward to having a chance to collaborate with artists in other genres. I think that such a chance will contribute to expanding my art world.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection? à Winter is coming now in Korea. The changes of seasons are very important in my work. I have been recently inspired by dry living things that were found as summer changed to autumn. All natural things harbor their own unique beauty and story as they head toward death, but the beauty and story is inexplicable. I brood over how I could contain beauty and story in my jewelry work.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ? à My daily life is very ordinary, but there are times when the ordinariness is very special. The moment when the ordinariness is very special is when I am sitting at the ‘Jewelry bench,’ feeling the emotion of a heroine who is treated specially on a stage. My work seems like a stage that makes me special. I enjoy making my work, and feel blissful. When I was young, I dreamed vaguely of being an artist. I think it is a great luck that I chose the genre, contemporary jewelry, out of many art genres, and that I have created works of art in the genre so far. I hope I will continue advancing my career.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection. à Nature and poetry.
BRIEF INTERVIEW TO RUUDT PETERS
1. You are a very ironic man and a great communicator, what is the human quality you appreciate the most in people around you?
I feel myself not so ironic I have a kind of humor. Who most people not understand or appreciate. I can walk in Amsterdam on the street and give comment on the way people are dressed or what they do.
My friend Karen Pontoppidan don’t understand that I can get away with this kind comments. I really can yell to someone on the other side of the street that she wears beautiful earrings. Once I feel very badly about such a comment, was in Germany Erfurt, I saw a man wearing a beautiful yellow brooch. I run to the man and say
that I love the design of his brooch, he say yes, thank you, I am blind and this brooch means the sign for that. I am quite strait forward to other people. I like to communicate if I like things or not. Even with my body language I enter a room and show if I like things yes or no. I cant hide or predict that I hate something.
I need honesty from other people I work with. Even sometimes Its difficult to hear that people don’t appreciate your work or thoughts. But you can learn from their honesty
2. When did you discover you wanted to be an artist?
I always call myself a Jeweller / Maker. As a child I was a daydreamer, never present, always in an other world. This dreaming give me a lot of insides. Thinking about the romance of Life and Death. But I understand
that my work has a great philosophical impact There are a lot of layers in my work. Where I mostly not talk about. I love that the wearer of a spectator finds new insides and meaning in my work. As I also like to find deeper layers in other mans work. I love to buy art what I don’t like at the first moment. I like to invest and trigger my brain to understand the work and the artist.
3. Do you consider yourself only a jeweller, or do you practice also other artistic forms in your life?
Yes. “I AM A JEWELLER” . and when I teach I like to educate people to become a good jeweler. I hate interdisciplinary teaching. For me its important that you learn first one profession that you become extreme
good in making jewellery. After you know how to do this, you can make steps into other disciplines. Because you know how to deal with one subject.
I know you also teach, do you enjoy teaching? Yes, I love to exchange my knowledge with people. I like to learn from younger generations. They have an other look upon the world. To influence each other is very interesting. A kind of exchange of thinking MASieraad together with the jewellers Gijs Bakker, Ted Noten, Ruudt
Peters, and Liesbeth den Besten, (arthistory), Liesbeth in ‘t Hout (fashion), Leo Versteijlen (architect).
We are working on a new educational project on jewellery as a learning method.
Look at our statements at our: https://masieraad.com or insta: masieraad
All of the members of the foundation MASieraad stand for a specific vision upon jewellery. On a very high level we question the meaning and reason of jewellery in our society and we are working on a new education model. You will hear soon from us.
4. Along the years you have met many friends in the jewellery world, who would you take a trip with and where would you go ?
I have many friends in the field, I can't give you one name, and when I start with names I can't stop. I only can tell you that I like to take the people I love, to an unbelievable special place deep in the middle of the
earth. In 2012 I have followed a leaders program given by Dirk Oelibrandt a very spiritual alchemist from Belgium. He took us with a trip to the “Grottes de Aguzou” in France. This was one of the most exiting
experience I had in my life. All of us had to wear a special suit to keep our self warm and dry, we wore a helmet with the lamp on top. We were introduced by the curator of the cave. He told us that we have to take
everything out of the cave also urine or shit, nothing could remain. Because of the very special eco system under the ground. We entered the cave and get deeper and deeper. All kind of stalactite and stalagmite, a
world of very erotic LINGAMS.
A certain moment we had to climb up 20 meters on a wobbly Iron ladder. On the end of the ladder was a enormous vagina where you had to go trough, you real had the feeling to get back in your mothers whomb.
On this platform we did a meditation session, where you feel very strong the energy of mother earth. Dirk told me, You as jeweller have to go with the curator to a special place. Don’t worry. We moved horizontally
on our belly and elbows for 20 minutes in a very narrow cavern. Suddenly the curator stopped and clicked on his light and we were in the middle of a enormous fantastic field with white transparent rock crystals.
I was in heaven in the middle of our earth.
5. Ruudt Peters do you like to travel? What inspires you? What attracts you in life? Tell us a little about your dreams and hopes.
Yes I love traveling. I have been all over the world. By traveling you start to understand your own culture better. Mostly I choose a country who I don’t like on the first hand. I like to invest and learn more about others.
But I realize also that I feel myself a cheese head walking on Chinese markets. Traveling is a mirror of your own culture. You realize more where you come from. What are your habits and difficulties to change.
Now in this corona time I feel privileged to be able to see so many parts of the world. On the other hand I feel that I am crazy I don’t want more countries/cultures on my bucket list. Now every thing comes to silence.
No Moving, No travels, No exhibitions, I love it. I see that this has changed my way of looking upon nature and environment. But I am afraid that we all together don’t learn from this Covid 19, I am afraid that people rush directly to other destinations in the world. I am happy that I have a summer studio in the South of the Netherlands. I stay there during Covid time, walking with my dog along the river, hearing the birds
and look at the blue sky, I see that my own country is so beautiful, why should I go out in the world?
6. Life is full of colors to live in, which is your color ? Which is your jewel?
I Love colors, I hate Red!!! For that reason, I did in 2000 during a traveling South East Asia an investigation in Red. Love/hate blood/violence all is inside red. But strangely enough, I come always back to BLACK.
Black has everything in it self. It’s the color of death and drama. There are thousands of black colors.
The only jewel I wear every day, is my black wedding ring.
7. One last question, I'm in love with your shirts and your eyewear.....when did you start collecting them, is this a passion of yours, or your way to perform art, or to express yourself in life? Can you share
with us a pic of you that you love ?
My mother put a seed into me, she gave me when I was 8 years old a very beautiful “Pied de poule” trousers the only problem was that all the boys at school yell at me that I was a “baker” and was “gay”.. I hated to
wear the pants, but I love the beauty of the trousers. Finally the beauty won the struggle, I start to love fashion and extreme exciting clothes. I don’t like to wear only dull jeans I always love to wear special glasses, every two year I bought new ones. When I find the bold black ones from the designer Theo from Antwerp, I fell in love with them. I bought more of the seem glasses at one time. In 2000 when I finish my teaching at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. The students made fun out of my glasses, they portrayed themselves with my glasses on. From that moment I realized that my glasses are a branding of me as artist. I use from that time the glasses also to promote the brand Ruudt Peters.
8. A quote from you to say "Arrivederci" ....till the next one !
The only solution on making good work and have a good life is repetition, remake-remake-remake, do-do-do, don’t think- don’t think- make failures and learn from that- make and reflect- fall on your face - but try again.
You are never to old to learn. Every day is a new learning moment.
The sky is the limit.
Go-go-go. !
Ruudt Peters
I feel myself not so ironic I have a kind of humor. Who most people not understand or appreciate. I can walk in Amsterdam on the street and give comment on the way people are dressed or what they do.
My friend Karen Pontoppidan don’t understand that I can get away with this kind comments. I really can yell to someone on the other side of the street that she wears beautiful earrings. Once I feel very badly about such a comment, was in Germany Erfurt, I saw a man wearing a beautiful yellow brooch. I run to the man and say
that I love the design of his brooch, he say yes, thank you, I am blind and this brooch means the sign for that. I am quite strait forward to other people. I like to communicate if I like things or not. Even with my body language I enter a room and show if I like things yes or no. I cant hide or predict that I hate something.
I need honesty from other people I work with. Even sometimes Its difficult to hear that people don’t appreciate your work or thoughts. But you can learn from their honesty
2. When did you discover you wanted to be an artist?
I always call myself a Jeweller / Maker. As a child I was a daydreamer, never present, always in an other world. This dreaming give me a lot of insides. Thinking about the romance of Life and Death. But I understand
that my work has a great philosophical impact There are a lot of layers in my work. Where I mostly not talk about. I love that the wearer of a spectator finds new insides and meaning in my work. As I also like to find deeper layers in other mans work. I love to buy art what I don’t like at the first moment. I like to invest and trigger my brain to understand the work and the artist.
3. Do you consider yourself only a jeweller, or do you practice also other artistic forms in your life?
Yes. “I AM A JEWELLER” . and when I teach I like to educate people to become a good jeweler. I hate interdisciplinary teaching. For me its important that you learn first one profession that you become extreme
good in making jewellery. After you know how to do this, you can make steps into other disciplines. Because you know how to deal with one subject.
I know you also teach, do you enjoy teaching? Yes, I love to exchange my knowledge with people. I like to learn from younger generations. They have an other look upon the world. To influence each other is very interesting. A kind of exchange of thinking MASieraad together with the jewellers Gijs Bakker, Ted Noten, Ruudt
Peters, and Liesbeth den Besten, (arthistory), Liesbeth in ‘t Hout (fashion), Leo Versteijlen (architect).
We are working on a new educational project on jewellery as a learning method.
Look at our statements at our: https://masieraad.com or insta: masieraad
All of the members of the foundation MASieraad stand for a specific vision upon jewellery. On a very high level we question the meaning and reason of jewellery in our society and we are working on a new education model. You will hear soon from us.
4. Along the years you have met many friends in the jewellery world, who would you take a trip with and where would you go ?
I have many friends in the field, I can't give you one name, and when I start with names I can't stop. I only can tell you that I like to take the people I love, to an unbelievable special place deep in the middle of the
earth. In 2012 I have followed a leaders program given by Dirk Oelibrandt a very spiritual alchemist from Belgium. He took us with a trip to the “Grottes de Aguzou” in France. This was one of the most exiting
experience I had in my life. All of us had to wear a special suit to keep our self warm and dry, we wore a helmet with the lamp on top. We were introduced by the curator of the cave. He told us that we have to take
everything out of the cave also urine or shit, nothing could remain. Because of the very special eco system under the ground. We entered the cave and get deeper and deeper. All kind of stalactite and stalagmite, a
world of very erotic LINGAMS.
A certain moment we had to climb up 20 meters on a wobbly Iron ladder. On the end of the ladder was a enormous vagina where you had to go trough, you real had the feeling to get back in your mothers whomb.
On this platform we did a meditation session, where you feel very strong the energy of mother earth. Dirk told me, You as jeweller have to go with the curator to a special place. Don’t worry. We moved horizontally
on our belly and elbows for 20 minutes in a very narrow cavern. Suddenly the curator stopped and clicked on his light and we were in the middle of a enormous fantastic field with white transparent rock crystals.
I was in heaven in the middle of our earth.
5. Ruudt Peters do you like to travel? What inspires you? What attracts you in life? Tell us a little about your dreams and hopes.
Yes I love traveling. I have been all over the world. By traveling you start to understand your own culture better. Mostly I choose a country who I don’t like on the first hand. I like to invest and learn more about others.
But I realize also that I feel myself a cheese head walking on Chinese markets. Traveling is a mirror of your own culture. You realize more where you come from. What are your habits and difficulties to change.
Now in this corona time I feel privileged to be able to see so many parts of the world. On the other hand I feel that I am crazy I don’t want more countries/cultures on my bucket list. Now every thing comes to silence.
No Moving, No travels, No exhibitions, I love it. I see that this has changed my way of looking upon nature and environment. But I am afraid that we all together don’t learn from this Covid 19, I am afraid that people rush directly to other destinations in the world. I am happy that I have a summer studio in the South of the Netherlands. I stay there during Covid time, walking with my dog along the river, hearing the birds
and look at the blue sky, I see that my own country is so beautiful, why should I go out in the world?
6. Life is full of colors to live in, which is your color ? Which is your jewel?
I Love colors, I hate Red!!! For that reason, I did in 2000 during a traveling South East Asia an investigation in Red. Love/hate blood/violence all is inside red. But strangely enough, I come always back to BLACK.
Black has everything in it self. It’s the color of death and drama. There are thousands of black colors.
The only jewel I wear every day, is my black wedding ring.
7. One last question, I'm in love with your shirts and your eyewear.....when did you start collecting them, is this a passion of yours, or your way to perform art, or to express yourself in life? Can you share
with us a pic of you that you love ?
My mother put a seed into me, she gave me when I was 8 years old a very beautiful “Pied de poule” trousers the only problem was that all the boys at school yell at me that I was a “baker” and was “gay”.. I hated to
wear the pants, but I love the beauty of the trousers. Finally the beauty won the struggle, I start to love fashion and extreme exciting clothes. I don’t like to wear only dull jeans I always love to wear special glasses, every two year I bought new ones. When I find the bold black ones from the designer Theo from Antwerp, I fell in love with them. I bought more of the seem glasses at one time. In 2000 when I finish my teaching at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. The students made fun out of my glasses, they portrayed themselves with my glasses on. From that moment I realized that my glasses are a branding of me as artist. I use from that time the glasses also to promote the brand Ruudt Peters.
8. A quote from you to say "Arrivederci" ....till the next one !
The only solution on making good work and have a good life is repetition, remake-remake-remake, do-do-do, don’t think- don’t think- make failures and learn from that- make and reflect- fall on your face - but try again.
You are never to old to learn. Every day is a new learning moment.
The sky is the limit.
Go-go-go. !
Ruudt Peters
brief interview to rebekah frank
Where is your inspiration coming from?
For many years, I worked within architecturally focused ateliers, where I spent a lot of time building rectangular frames. The jewelry I make is inspired by the interaction between the body and the negative space created a piece of jewelry. Most jewelry asks to be filled; bracelets, rings, necklaces all include a void that traditionally are filled by wrists, fingers, and necks. My jewelry creates flexible frames for the body and the interaction between the frame, the body, and movement is what inspires me. More intimate than the negative spaces that architecture frames and differently focused on the body, jewelry invites the body that wears it to be a part of the piece. Because of my interest in the body and movement, the work of dancers like Pina Bausch and Emma Porter are fascinating as they experiment with movement through contemporary dance.
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
That space can be inhabited in different ways and there is no wrong way. That boundaries can be defined and flexible. That material, objects, and people can have multiple identities that change, morph, and shift over time.
Which material do you prefer to use and why?
My preferred material is steel. When I was 18 years old, I took an introductory welding course at a community college alongside classes in ballet, advanced mathematics, and critical thinking. I fell in love with the material transformation of welding, the physical power of wielding a torch, and the practical, solemnness of the material. Steel surrounds us. It holds up our buildings, it protects us as we hurtle through space in our vehicles, it is the backbone of our society. It is common, affordable, and accessible, no matter where I am in the world. I enjoy making such a solemn, ubiquitous material graceful and luxurious, while coaxing a playful tension as the steel interacts with the body and gravity.
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Since I only use one material, I am endless researching possibilities of steel. While others are interested in variety of material and their overlap in texture, I’m able to delve deeply into understanding the quality of one. It is a lifelong obsession.
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both!
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why?
Some artists I follow are Eva Hesse, Louise Bourgeois, Harmony Hammond, Sarah Lucas, Cassils, Iris Eichenberg, Torreya Cummings, and Angela Hennessey. These artists were or are trail blazers working in ways that inspire me to do more. While there are male artists I also look towards because their careers are so visible, these women and queer artists’s paths and subject matter are more recognizable and provide me hope and motivation.
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
My work has a characteristic of scaffolding and lends itself well to some collaborations that recognize the signature framework of my pieces without overwhelming it. I collaborated with Iris Eichenberg for an exhibition at Galerie Louise Smit in 2011 and love the resulting work because it honors and reflects our distinct styles.
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
My last major collection was 2018’s just add flesh. It was an evolution of the previous ongoing series Rectangle Series 2012-2018. Each distinct body of work and the small groupings, like the Nostalgia Triptych and the Pacific Coast Highway necklaces, that are made in-between are part of the exploration of material and themes of my work. As each one ends, I am excited to continue the ideas that were discovered along the way. One way of thinking about collections are they are simply chapters in an ongoing book, each building on the last and leading your through until the unknown end.
What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
That there is more to discover! There is always more to find out about yourself and creating work is an enjoyable process of introspection, analyzation, and production.
Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Elegant. Playful.
brief INTERVIEW WITH BEPPE KESSLER
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
It is about life! It comes from the world around me, from
thoughts about things that do surprise me, or puzzle me. Concepts like <me, or space, or nothingness.
Intense concepts, difficult to grasp. Sometimes the Title of a piece is already in my mind, long before I find
the way to translate it into a work. In fact the most humble things can trigger me, both just before my feet
or high in the sky, looking at the always moving clouds in always different transparencies. Sometimes a
question is more inspiring than an answer. The only thing that counts in art is maybe that what cannot be
explained into words.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
That is a question I often ask myself: why are you doing what you do, what am I looking for. The answer is both simple and complex at the same time. I can’t do nothing, I love to work. Searching for a new diversity in jewellery, maybe redefine what can be jewellery? Sometimes I think I want to share beauty or at least the question what can be beauty, those
thoughts, packed in a work. But there always is more than just beauty. Maybe I am most happy when people
don’t know at first sight where they are looking at. I want to surprise them and force them to come closer and
look more careful, look twice. The whole process starts with a question, something I want to communicate.
And the wish to surprise my self. I cannot make things when I already know the result. I have to dig into the
idea and the material, to investigate. The form is like a dress for the thoughts behind the piece, but it should
fit perfectly. I try to materialize my reflections and to make it universal. I do hate explanations, the piece has
to tell its own stories.
Also in my paintings and objects I do ask myself the question what is a painting? Just like I ask my self what
is jewellery. And the process of answering these in an endless trial and error modus keeps me going. Also
here I like to redefine what can be a painting, it sounds maybe ambitious. At the same time they should be a
self-portrait of who I am. My paintings are not an illustration of an image, there even seldom is an image in it.
Painting starts with making the wooden frame before I stretch the linen over it. Every next step comes forth
of the former and calls for new questions. The tension in the canvas, is intriguing. And paint that liquid stuff,
that can stream, move and clutter, is endlessly fascinating.
There always is a strong interaction between painting and jewellery.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
In fact any material, (I am a material girl was a title of an exhibition in 1996). Humble, worthless or even banal materials. I prefer solid materials, materials that I can sculpt, scratch, paint, damage. They are still open, they haven’t a form yet and I can shape them, transform them and give them my handwriting. Material matters: every choice of material is a conscious
decision and tells its own story. The material in the piece has to be convincing, and that goes further than
mere techniques. You have to listen to the material!
For the paintings it simply is textile, wood and paint Limitation is my strength. Minimal effects with a
maximum of result. It is much more difficult to do as less as necessary as to do as much as possible. But for
the bigger objects ( whispering pieces) I am always in search of unknown, simple, daily life materials.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
It is important but it also depends on what I want to communicate in the piece. . ..Sometimes the purely found material is enough just as it is, unembellished, pure and down to earth, sometimes I can decorate it over the top. I don’t want any material
too easy to be read. It should not be too beautiful, it simply must be convincing.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both. Creating is a way of life. On the way there are so many side roads, you ignore or you note for another day. Any process brings surprises. Never walk a straight line. If I have to choose between a canal and a river, I prefer the river, it can end up in
quite another direction. Intuition plays a role, the eye and the hand working together. Sometimes it can be
very important not to know what you do and even why you do it. If you knew beforehand, you probably
should not do it. The best things happen by mistake or accidents.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why?
Carel Visser, Louise Bourgeois, Meret Oppenheimer,Eva Hesse, Robert Ryman, Brice Marden, to name a few.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists or do you like to work on your own?
I like towork on my own, in the studio. But I love to get a commission and develop a piece together with a client or
make an installation for a wall. Working together for an exhibition is always an option, I shortly also will
undertake again. Bringing different handwritings together can be very fruitful for both artists.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
On the way, always on the way. With my no more flight brooches I recently made, it happend to be a statement, recognizable for many people, especially during Covid. The weather always has been my interest, and the climate, taking care of our
planet, is an issue for every body. It was good to contribute to this. The next step is still totally open, my
focus now is on painting, inspiration comes from there. We will see. There has to be an urge to make
jewellery, a necessity, not just ‘make something’. There must be a thought behind the work. After so many
years of making, you get more and more critical.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years?
I am happy I had myeducation in textiles. And did not learn techniques or any do’s and don’t’s concerning jewellery or painting.
You have to develop your own rules. It makes you independent and open minded. You have to listen to
yourself, follow your heart and intuition. With the growing years I focus on the things that counts.
During the years I developed an own way of working. On invitation of the Hiko Mizuno college of jewelry in
Tokio I tried to transform that into a teaching method which was risky but worked out very well. I am proud
and happy that I could inspire a few Japanese students!
10.Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Heavenly blue, or better: future concern.
Beppe Kessler
Brief interview with Nadine Kuffner
1. Where is your inspiration coming from?
My inspiration is mainly coming from jewelry itself. I am interested in the function of jewelry as a social, cultural or political statement
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I like to question the status quo of things. What do we expect from things and why? My main tool of method is to play with normative thinking by reversing or exaggerating it. I try to stretch boarders within the concept of wearability, good craftsmanship, and material hierarchy.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
The material I choose for my work is always depending on my concept. So first there is the concept for my work and then I am looking for the ideal material which can express and translate my idea best. For the last years I have been dealing with the relationship between fine art and applied art. For this I am using casting as a method to create sculptural non-wearable jewelry in bronze. Casting also opens the possibility to shape jewelry by painting quickly in liquid metal instead of thoroughly constructing it.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I put a lot of effort into the research of my material. I am always looking for the best expression to communicate my idea. This means that the way of how the material transforms into shape is important, but also surface, color, tactility, smell, and weight are essential.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both are important. The process can take years of research. It has ups of fun playtime and lows of frustrating failures until the “thinking” hands have finally produced what mind and unconsciousness have been trying to tell them. The artwork should be the result of this thinking process and serves as a tool of communication.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Right now I am a big fan of Eva Hesse, Lynda Benglis and Anish Kapur. I admire their conceptual thinking and the way how they treat material and space so a drawing becomes a sculpture and vice versa.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I like to collaborate with artists by organizing exhibitions and showcases together. And, of course, it´s important to talk and discuss work with other colleagues. I am happy to share my studio with three other jewelry artists, where we can elaborate on technical solutions, aesthetic choices or life itself. But for my own work, I like to stay on my own.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I am quite content with my latest artwork. However, as an artist, you are always hungry for more. Once you reached the top of a mountain it starts to get boring and you are looking for the next challenge.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I need to be more patient and trust myself until a finished idea reveals itself.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
drawing in metal
Nadine Kuffner
My inspiration is mainly coming from jewelry itself. I am interested in the function of jewelry as a social, cultural or political statement
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I like to question the status quo of things. What do we expect from things and why? My main tool of method is to play with normative thinking by reversing or exaggerating it. I try to stretch boarders within the concept of wearability, good craftsmanship, and material hierarchy.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
The material I choose for my work is always depending on my concept. So first there is the concept for my work and then I am looking for the ideal material which can express and translate my idea best. For the last years I have been dealing with the relationship between fine art and applied art. For this I am using casting as a method to create sculptural non-wearable jewelry in bronze. Casting also opens the possibility to shape jewelry by painting quickly in liquid metal instead of thoroughly constructing it.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I put a lot of effort into the research of my material. I am always looking for the best expression to communicate my idea. This means that the way of how the material transforms into shape is important, but also surface, color, tactility, smell, and weight are essential.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both are important. The process can take years of research. It has ups of fun playtime and lows of frustrating failures until the “thinking” hands have finally produced what mind and unconsciousness have been trying to tell them. The artwork should be the result of this thinking process and serves as a tool of communication.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Right now I am a big fan of Eva Hesse, Lynda Benglis and Anish Kapur. I admire their conceptual thinking and the way how they treat material and space so a drawing becomes a sculpture and vice versa.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I like to collaborate with artists by organizing exhibitions and showcases together. And, of course, it´s important to talk and discuss work with other colleagues. I am happy to share my studio with three other jewelry artists, where we can elaborate on technical solutions, aesthetic choices or life itself. But for my own work, I like to stay on my own.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I am quite content with my latest artwork. However, as an artist, you are always hungry for more. Once you reached the top of a mountain it starts to get boring and you are looking for the next challenge.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I need to be more patient and trust myself until a finished idea reveals itself.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
drawing in metal
Nadine Kuffner
BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH peter bauhuis
Interview with Peter Bauhuis
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Anything can be. Both art or natural museums, music, walking in cities or on mountains, all kind of information found in newspapers or the internet that raise my curiosity, the work of other artists, books, nature or culture, not translated 1:1 into work, but forming a rhizomatic network from which eventually new ideas emerge.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork ?
My work are investigations on beauty and human behaviour. How do we see art, how do we react, what makes us believe in values? What is the role of objects and their stories in perceiving the world? I achieve this with my three-dimensional artworks as well as with exhibitions and publications, which I see as autonomous works of art.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
Almost all of my work is metal cast in the lost wax technique. In casting, the archaic nature of working with liquid metal is appealing - but it is also the preliminary work in wax that allows a rapidity and directness that cannot be achieved when working directly in metal. Three-dimensional sketches can thus be transformed into metal. But the process too gives its commentary.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I am often called an alchemist because researching and experimenting with metals is an essential part of my work. At first I was not thrilled with this classification, but if it means that I take apart the elements of the world and then put them back together with an unexpected result, I feel quite comfortable with it.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
There is no process if there is not the goal to have a finished work. There is no work if there is no process.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer and admire and why ?
William Kentridge, Lukas Cranach, Tino Sehgal, Fischli&Weiss, Michael Sailsdorfer, … Obsessive artworkers who are not satisfied with simple solutions. (And when I am jealous of their ideas…
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
Even though most creative processes need the solitude of the studio, there had always been collaborations:
A long time correspondence with Andi Gut, exhibtions with Manon van Kouswijk, book projects with Gabi Veit and more.
With Larissa Cluzet, Julia Walter and Andi Gut I am working on a project on fictions and stories for the next meltingpoint in Valencia.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
The last essential work was an intervention in an archeological museum: The Venus of Z. – An Assumption
I presented objects as a baroque forgery of a prehistoric treasure-trove claiming that they had a powerful impact on my own (“contemporary“) work. All this was embedded in the fictitious story of a scientist of the early enlightenment period, using also a lot of genuine texts, images and thoughts from that time.
I really enjoyed this game with so many levels that even I get confused sometimes. The upcoming work Flies seens much more simple. But still there are many levels to it…
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Telling stories through things is what fascinates me increasingly. Finding and inventing both the tales and their objects for a new publication is what will keep me busy for the coming time.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Flies fly.
Peter Bauhuis
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Anything can be. Both art or natural museums, music, walking in cities or on mountains, all kind of information found in newspapers or the internet that raise my curiosity, the work of other artists, books, nature or culture, not translated 1:1 into work, but forming a rhizomatic network from which eventually new ideas emerge.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork ?
My work are investigations on beauty and human behaviour. How do we see art, how do we react, what makes us believe in values? What is the role of objects and their stories in perceiving the world? I achieve this with my three-dimensional artworks as well as with exhibitions and publications, which I see as autonomous works of art.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
Almost all of my work is metal cast in the lost wax technique. In casting, the archaic nature of working with liquid metal is appealing - but it is also the preliminary work in wax that allows a rapidity and directness that cannot be achieved when working directly in metal. Three-dimensional sketches can thus be transformed into metal. But the process too gives its commentary.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I am often called an alchemist because researching and experimenting with metals is an essential part of my work. At first I was not thrilled with this classification, but if it means that I take apart the elements of the world and then put them back together with an unexpected result, I feel quite comfortable with it.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
There is no process if there is not the goal to have a finished work. There is no work if there is no process.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer and admire and why ?
William Kentridge, Lukas Cranach, Tino Sehgal, Fischli&Weiss, Michael Sailsdorfer, … Obsessive artworkers who are not satisfied with simple solutions. (And when I am jealous of their ideas…
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
Even though most creative processes need the solitude of the studio, there had always been collaborations:
A long time correspondence with Andi Gut, exhibtions with Manon van Kouswijk, book projects with Gabi Veit and more.
With Larissa Cluzet, Julia Walter and Andi Gut I am working on a project on fictions and stories for the next meltingpoint in Valencia.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
The last essential work was an intervention in an archeological museum: The Venus of Z. – An Assumption
I presented objects as a baroque forgery of a prehistoric treasure-trove claiming that they had a powerful impact on my own (“contemporary“) work. All this was embedded in the fictitious story of a scientist of the early enlightenment period, using also a lot of genuine texts, images and thoughts from that time.
I really enjoyed this game with so many levels that even I get confused sometimes. The upcoming work Flies seens much more simple. But still there are many levels to it…
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Telling stories through things is what fascinates me increasingly. Finding and inventing both the tales and their objects for a new publication is what will keep me busy for the coming time.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Flies fly.
Peter Bauhuis
brief interview with artist julie blyfield
.1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
I draw inspiration from many sources including my family, history, museums and the landscape, but particularly from plants and nature. I enjoy gardening as did my father and past generations of my family. My great grandfather worked for Suttons and Sons Seeds in the UK and my grandmother was an avid gardener, so I guess it’s in my genes. I also enjoy researching botanical collections and have spent time working with pressed specimens in The State Herbarium in Adelaide where I live and also in the Natural History Museum in London and Cambridge Herbarium, UK. I always try and create new work with inspiration from ‘real life’ as it keeps me inspired and motivated, otherwise I feel my work would become repetitive and stale.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I try and communicate a passion and love of the hand made, where the crafting skills in jewellery and objects and the making process is just as meaningful to the piece as the source from which it was derived. I am interested in the symbolism of
plants and flowers - how they are used as metaphors in both life and death. The transformation from something natural and ephemeral to a permanent precious material is significant in the design and creation of my jewellery and small scale objects.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I enjoy working with silver as it has the ability to receive the marks of the hammer and ‘chasing’ textures I create using small steel tools which are worked over the annealed (softened) metal surface. Using silver I can keep the weight of the piece
thinner and much lighter , and, as I work the textures over the surface the silver work hardens and ‘shifts’ in unpredictable ways, creating unexpected outcomes. Silver has the ability to be transformed through colour and texture.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I absolutely love researching new material - it keeps me motivated and my work fresh. It’s so important to continually
try new approaches or new ways of working to sustain a long and healthy career. Researching new ideas usually means meeting new people, visiting different locations such as the desert or the coast, or seeking out new collections in a museum. So I give researching a great deal of value, as a commitment to new beginnings which is always positive and inspiring!
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both are important - there is something about starting anew, a clean preparation and design bench waiting for ideas to evolve for a brand new body of work. That process is both ‘excitement and fear ‘all at the same time. I love the focus and intent of making new work, the thinking process that comes with new designs, the ideas and of course the immediacy of it too. I intend for the outcome to be well crafted and for jewellery pieces to be functional and ‘sit well 'on the body or objects to be considered in a three dimensional way.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I love many artists works…its difficult to say just one , but I love Karl Fritsch’s work for his freshness, boldness and humour , it makes me smile! He seems to embrace the world of making rings with an endless passion.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
In 2017 I collaborated with a friend and ceramist - Kirsten Coelho and we made a collection of jewellery and objects together using porcelain and metal. The exhibition - ‘ Ormolu’ was inspired by Australian history and visiting an historic copper mining town in the north of South Australia (Moonta Mines Museum) and viewing the archaeological ‘finds’ from the original dump site in Adelaide, South Australia. I like to work in different ways but I think once I’m ‘in the making zone’ it’s great to work
alone. For 23 years I worked at Gray Street Workshop ( jewellery collective in Adelaide) which was inspiring and I worked alongside many jewellers over the years. Now I enjoy working from my garden studio where I can see the plants , experience the seasons in the garden and hear the birds.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
The last collection I made was shown just
as Covid - 19 hit , after working for 18 months on developing this new group of jewellery and objects
which was based around visiting the spectacular landscape in the north east of Western Australia
called ‘ The Bungle Bungles’ in the World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park- the land of the
Traditional Aboriginal owners the Jaru and Gidja peoples who are its custodians. I called this
exhibition ‘ Embrace’ . The jewellery work sat within the landscape of upturned objects - hand raised
copper forms echoing the colours and forms of the landscape I had witnessed. I intended for the
work to be viewed / experienced as a an intimate, sculptural landscape.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I have discovered that I still love making jewellery and objects after nearly 40 years. I enjoy helping younger jewellers and I often
mentor them to assist and pass on ‘tips and skills’ if I can. I relish look ing at their ideas and designs as well. As I get older I am driven - in a more relaxed way , by my work and I am greatly committed to my practice. It’s my life force …and recently I sadly lost my lifetime partner - Chris and , through my work I am slowly coming through my grief, ….it’s given me so much purpose in life.
1. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Emotion and Awe
I draw inspiration from many sources including my family, history, museums and the landscape, but particularly from plants and nature. I enjoy gardening as did my father and past generations of my family. My great grandfather worked for Suttons and Sons Seeds in the UK and my grandmother was an avid gardener, so I guess it’s in my genes. I also enjoy researching botanical collections and have spent time working with pressed specimens in The State Herbarium in Adelaide where I live and also in the Natural History Museum in London and Cambridge Herbarium, UK. I always try and create new work with inspiration from ‘real life’ as it keeps me inspired and motivated, otherwise I feel my work would become repetitive and stale.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I try and communicate a passion and love of the hand made, where the crafting skills in jewellery and objects and the making process is just as meaningful to the piece as the source from which it was derived. I am interested in the symbolism of
plants and flowers - how they are used as metaphors in both life and death. The transformation from something natural and ephemeral to a permanent precious material is significant in the design and creation of my jewellery and small scale objects.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I enjoy working with silver as it has the ability to receive the marks of the hammer and ‘chasing’ textures I create using small steel tools which are worked over the annealed (softened) metal surface. Using silver I can keep the weight of the piece
thinner and much lighter , and, as I work the textures over the surface the silver work hardens and ‘shifts’ in unpredictable ways, creating unexpected outcomes. Silver has the ability to be transformed through colour and texture.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I absolutely love researching new material - it keeps me motivated and my work fresh. It’s so important to continually
try new approaches or new ways of working to sustain a long and healthy career. Researching new ideas usually means meeting new people, visiting different locations such as the desert or the coast, or seeking out new collections in a museum. So I give researching a great deal of value, as a commitment to new beginnings which is always positive and inspiring!
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both are important - there is something about starting anew, a clean preparation and design bench waiting for ideas to evolve for a brand new body of work. That process is both ‘excitement and fear ‘all at the same time. I love the focus and intent of making new work, the thinking process that comes with new designs, the ideas and of course the immediacy of it too. I intend for the outcome to be well crafted and for jewellery pieces to be functional and ‘sit well 'on the body or objects to be considered in a three dimensional way.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I love many artists works…its difficult to say just one , but I love Karl Fritsch’s work for his freshness, boldness and humour , it makes me smile! He seems to embrace the world of making rings with an endless passion.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
In 2017 I collaborated with a friend and ceramist - Kirsten Coelho and we made a collection of jewellery and objects together using porcelain and metal. The exhibition - ‘ Ormolu’ was inspired by Australian history and visiting an historic copper mining town in the north of South Australia (Moonta Mines Museum) and viewing the archaeological ‘finds’ from the original dump site in Adelaide, South Australia. I like to work in different ways but I think once I’m ‘in the making zone’ it’s great to work
alone. For 23 years I worked at Gray Street Workshop ( jewellery collective in Adelaide) which was inspiring and I worked alongside many jewellers over the years. Now I enjoy working from my garden studio where I can see the plants , experience the seasons in the garden and hear the birds.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
The last collection I made was shown just
as Covid - 19 hit , after working for 18 months on developing this new group of jewellery and objects
which was based around visiting the spectacular landscape in the north east of Western Australia
called ‘ The Bungle Bungles’ in the World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park- the land of the
Traditional Aboriginal owners the Jaru and Gidja peoples who are its custodians. I called this
exhibition ‘ Embrace’ . The jewellery work sat within the landscape of upturned objects - hand raised
copper forms echoing the colours and forms of the landscape I had witnessed. I intended for the
work to be viewed / experienced as a an intimate, sculptural landscape.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I have discovered that I still love making jewellery and objects after nearly 40 years. I enjoy helping younger jewellers and I often
mentor them to assist and pass on ‘tips and skills’ if I can. I relish look ing at their ideas and designs as well. As I get older I am driven - in a more relaxed way , by my work and I am greatly committed to my practice. It’s my life force …and recently I sadly lost my lifetime partner - Chris and , through my work I am slowly coming through my grief, ….it’s given me so much purpose in life.
1. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Emotion and Awe
BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST Helen Britton
Where is your inspiration coming from ?
The life I live
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
My experiences
Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
The material most appropriate for the experience I am trying to communicate
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Very valuable – because we are all part of the material world it is very important to understand the language of the material we connect with – their history the consequence of working with them – what they have to say in their raw form – where they have come from, where they are going – this is essential understanding – my work is a dialogue about my place in the material world and all our histories intra-connected
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
I don’t make a hierarchy here – the conversation with the materials, the work in the studio is very important, but equally so that the work can independently communicate over time without me
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Phyllida Barlow and Luc Tuymans – they are very inspiring for the many levels of communication they generate with their work
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I collaborate for over 20 years with Justine McKnight in Australia – we have made many great bodies of work together and are currently working on a major new group of pieces that we will exhibit in 2023
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
The Exhibition at Antonella Villanova is very balanced – I could show my practice in its entirety in a beautiful and considered way.
The life I live
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
My experiences
Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
The material most appropriate for the experience I am trying to communicate
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Very valuable – because we are all part of the material world it is very important to understand the language of the material we connect with – their history the consequence of working with them – what they have to say in their raw form – where they have come from, where they are going – this is essential understanding – my work is a dialogue about my place in the material world and all our histories intra-connected
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
I don’t make a hierarchy here – the conversation with the materials, the work in the studio is very important, but equally so that the work can independently communicate over time without me
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Phyllida Barlow and Luc Tuymans – they are very inspiring for the many levels of communication they generate with their work
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I collaborate for over 20 years with Justine McKnight in Australia – we have made many great bodies of work together and are currently working on a major new group of pieces that we will exhibit in 2023
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
The Exhibition at Antonella Villanova is very balanced – I could show my practice in its entirety in a beautiful and considered way.
bRIEF iNTERVIEW WITH Artist mALGOSIA Kalinska
Brief interview with Malgosia Kalinska
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Before I started my latest collection, I asked myself how to combine the process of painting with process of making a jewellery. How to transfer my way of thinking from 2 dimensional surface to 3 dimensional form of a jewellery object. I became fascinated with the problem of error and chance and how to incorporate it into my jewellery collection.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Through my expression, I try to point out that nobody is perfect. We tent to chase some beauty ideals from high street magazines when much closer to us are small imperfections, fleeting moments and unique chances. That makes our experience special, close to our hearts and bodies.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
In my previous collections I used plastic bags, paper or organic materials combined with silver which is my favorite. Currently, I work with polymer resins that reminds me of acrylic paint.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
New materials always bring unusual applications, surprises, new challenges and inspirations. It is important part of the process that allows to better understand not only the medium of work but also what I want to express with it.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The process itself is a fascinating adventure. When creating jewellery, I want to capture an individual expression and energy in each single piece. When working with resins, I give to this material the time and some kind of freedom so it shapes naturally. It comes to life almost organically! As an artist I love the process and later as a designer I appreciate its final form.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I don’t have a favorite artist but I am constantly amazed by the creativity of jewellery designers and other artists, their richness of ideas and thoughts. It is so easy to share content these days and I appreciate the accomplishments of my colleagues from around the world. However, especially now, I value the most direct contact with artworks in galleries or at art exhibitions.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
For me, creative process is very personal. I like to work on my own, to be in my zone, focused on what I am creating and being in touch with the object. I have never thought of a collaboration with other artists but I like to talk with them, exchange ideas, listen to their remarks or just to be inspired by their stories and creative dilemmas.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
In my last art collection, as a result of research and experiments, I developed a new technic that enables me to construct spatial objects in expressive forms. It took me over 3 years of practice to catch those philosophical nuances as a jewellery artwork. The acceptance of an error and a chance freed me from established conventions of thinking. It allowed me to enter a new dimension of creative expression. It was a beautiful journey and I am excited that there are still some doors to open and unexplored areas to discover.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
As a mature artist, I can fully take from many years of my experience. But that is not my priority. I want to get to work like a novice every day and keep this excitement of what’s going to happen next.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection?
Organically shaped.
Malgosia Kalinska
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Before I started my latest collection, I asked myself how to combine the process of painting with process of making a jewellery. How to transfer my way of thinking from 2 dimensional surface to 3 dimensional form of a jewellery object. I became fascinated with the problem of error and chance and how to incorporate it into my jewellery collection.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Through my expression, I try to point out that nobody is perfect. We tent to chase some beauty ideals from high street magazines when much closer to us are small imperfections, fleeting moments and unique chances. That makes our experience special, close to our hearts and bodies.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
In my previous collections I used plastic bags, paper or organic materials combined with silver which is my favorite. Currently, I work with polymer resins that reminds me of acrylic paint.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
New materials always bring unusual applications, surprises, new challenges and inspirations. It is important part of the process that allows to better understand not only the medium of work but also what I want to express with it.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The process itself is a fascinating adventure. When creating jewellery, I want to capture an individual expression and energy in each single piece. When working with resins, I give to this material the time and some kind of freedom so it shapes naturally. It comes to life almost organically! As an artist I love the process and later as a designer I appreciate its final form.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I don’t have a favorite artist but I am constantly amazed by the creativity of jewellery designers and other artists, their richness of ideas and thoughts. It is so easy to share content these days and I appreciate the accomplishments of my colleagues from around the world. However, especially now, I value the most direct contact with artworks in galleries or at art exhibitions.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
For me, creative process is very personal. I like to work on my own, to be in my zone, focused on what I am creating and being in touch with the object. I have never thought of a collaboration with other artists but I like to talk with them, exchange ideas, listen to their remarks or just to be inspired by their stories and creative dilemmas.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
In my last art collection, as a result of research and experiments, I developed a new technic that enables me to construct spatial objects in expressive forms. It took me over 3 years of practice to catch those philosophical nuances as a jewellery artwork. The acceptance of an error and a chance freed me from established conventions of thinking. It allowed me to enter a new dimension of creative expression. It was a beautiful journey and I am excited that there are still some doors to open and unexplored areas to discover.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
As a mature artist, I can fully take from many years of my experience. But that is not my priority. I want to get to work like a novice every day and keep this excitement of what’s going to happen next.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection?
Organically shaped.
Malgosia Kalinska
brief interview with sebastien carre
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
I started producing jewels in relation with the human body and its organs after getting my first degree, and I have easily started working on a representation of this disease. I quickly realized that representations of inflammation could be reminiscent of landscapes or coral reef. Thus, it came to my mind that if we were the landscape of the bacteria that populate us, maybe we were also the parasites of earth. My latest creations have therefore become more political, aiming at accepting others despite their differences and protecting nature.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
My latest creations tend to make us realize that all mankind is linked in an attempt to survive on Earth. Stressing out our differences such as skin color, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, and so on seems so childish while we are all facing the challenges created by climate change. The Pacha Mama is what make us part of a big family and we must do everything in our power to protect it.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I work mostly with textile techniques as they are linked to all the women of my family (my great grandmother used to make pearl jewels, one of my grandmothers taught me how to knit, the other one taught me embroidery, and my mother have taught me the crochet technique). I have mixed all of this to create my own art expression. Furthermore, all this allow me to create interactive jewelry aiming at awaking bodies as we tend to be anesthetized because everything is dematerialized and because we live in a overconnected society.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
With time, I’ve created my own vocabulary with the use of materials and colors. When I’m starting a new creation, I know exactly what I want to express, which allows me to pick from the start the colors and the materials that I’m going to use, however, I never anticipate the final result before the end because I often change my direction during the process… I keep learning and discovering by watching documentaries related to the use of materials by different tribes all around the world.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
To me, the process is the most important, my work on a piece is a long journey and my art evolves thanks to the different textile technics. I usually compare this process to pregnancy. This type of creation seems close to how life grows and makes me think in a way I put some life in these objects. Once done, although the jewel makes sense to me, I like the idea that the person who will wear it will give it another meaning, and then will ensure a better embodiement and adoption of the jewelry piece by the person who wears it.
6.Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
She might not have a direct influence on my work, but I love Teresa Faris (US) creations as her metal work seems to be very repetitive, close to a trance, which reminds me of my embroidery of beads. In addition, the fact of using woods that her parrot (Charmin) is playing with, makes me truly think that we are connected somehow by our love of nature.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
I already have worked with a niche perfumer from Paris to create 3 pieces inspired by 3 fragrances in relation with the sacred tree in a shamanic sense. Aiming at creating a synergy between a perfume and pieces of jewelry was very interesting and I would love to have other similar collaborations in the future in other areas as I believe that this is how an artist can have a wider public, especially in our field which still have to be better known by the mainstream public.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
With climate changing becoming more and more urgent, I think that my latest creations have become more and more political to raise awareness on the fact that we urgently need to radically change our lifestyles to provide an opportunity for the generations to come to survive on this Planet. I also care about showing that our differences are used by political to obtain votes… Climate changing and the rise of facism are, in my view, the main directions to follow in my art.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I realized my pieces are mainly influenced by my moods or by the things happening around me. When the terrorist attacks took place in France and in Strasbourg, the city where I live, my pieces were very dark. During summertime, when my house become very warm as I live between two mountains in a valley, my work looks like water or coral reef.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Warnings & Hope
I started producing jewels in relation with the human body and its organs after getting my first degree, and I have easily started working on a representation of this disease. I quickly realized that representations of inflammation could be reminiscent of landscapes or coral reef. Thus, it came to my mind that if we were the landscape of the bacteria that populate us, maybe we were also the parasites of earth. My latest creations have therefore become more political, aiming at accepting others despite their differences and protecting nature.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
My latest creations tend to make us realize that all mankind is linked in an attempt to survive on Earth. Stressing out our differences such as skin color, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, and so on seems so childish while we are all facing the challenges created by climate change. The Pacha Mama is what make us part of a big family and we must do everything in our power to protect it.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I work mostly with textile techniques as they are linked to all the women of my family (my great grandmother used to make pearl jewels, one of my grandmothers taught me how to knit, the other one taught me embroidery, and my mother have taught me the crochet technique). I have mixed all of this to create my own art expression. Furthermore, all this allow me to create interactive jewelry aiming at awaking bodies as we tend to be anesthetized because everything is dematerialized and because we live in a overconnected society.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
With time, I’ve created my own vocabulary with the use of materials and colors. When I’m starting a new creation, I know exactly what I want to express, which allows me to pick from the start the colors and the materials that I’m going to use, however, I never anticipate the final result before the end because I often change my direction during the process… I keep learning and discovering by watching documentaries related to the use of materials by different tribes all around the world.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
To me, the process is the most important, my work on a piece is a long journey and my art evolves thanks to the different textile technics. I usually compare this process to pregnancy. This type of creation seems close to how life grows and makes me think in a way I put some life in these objects. Once done, although the jewel makes sense to me, I like the idea that the person who will wear it will give it another meaning, and then will ensure a better embodiement and adoption of the jewelry piece by the person who wears it.
6.Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
She might not have a direct influence on my work, but I love Teresa Faris (US) creations as her metal work seems to be very repetitive, close to a trance, which reminds me of my embroidery of beads. In addition, the fact of using woods that her parrot (Charmin) is playing with, makes me truly think that we are connected somehow by our love of nature.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
I already have worked with a niche perfumer from Paris to create 3 pieces inspired by 3 fragrances in relation with the sacred tree in a shamanic sense. Aiming at creating a synergy between a perfume and pieces of jewelry was very interesting and I would love to have other similar collaborations in the future in other areas as I believe that this is how an artist can have a wider public, especially in our field which still have to be better known by the mainstream public.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
With climate changing becoming more and more urgent, I think that my latest creations have become more and more political to raise awareness on the fact that we urgently need to radically change our lifestyles to provide an opportunity for the generations to come to survive on this Planet. I also care about showing that our differences are used by political to obtain votes… Climate changing and the rise of facism are, in my view, the main directions to follow in my art.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I realized my pieces are mainly influenced by my moods or by the things happening around me. When the terrorist attacks took place in France and in Strasbourg, the city where I live, my pieces were very dark. During summertime, when my house become very warm as I live between two mountains in a valley, my work looks like water or coral reef.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Warnings & Hope
BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH takashi kojima
1・Where is your inspiration coming from ?
News and culture of various countries. It's an opportunity to think about modern times
and history and act on what you can do. In particular, the situation and history of own
country (Japan) are important factors.
2・What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I think Jewellery should uplift the wearer's feelings.
On the other hand, the concept of my work involves contradictions and problems in the
consumer society.
I hope that by wearing my jewelry, it will become a communication tool for conversation.
3・Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
The most representative is the series that uses natural stones and synthetic stones.
Jewels have the power to simply make you think they are beautiful. I like its simplicity.
On the other hand, I'm also interested in the dark side of the long history of gems.
(But I've loved jewelry since I was little, so it may be instinct.)
In recent years, The role, trace and form of the objects that are not main products in a
consumer society have constantly interested me. When you buy a product, it always comes
with extras such as packaging and cushioning materials but we are not much aware of
paying for them. Some extras show their main productsʼ real natures better than these
products do. I think that making these extras into jewelry and wearing them as a
communication tool will help us develop new ideas and stories in our social lives.
In my work, a series that uses the frame part called "runner" after removing the parts of
the plastic model. Another series that uses only the lid of CHANEL's old perfume bottle.
4・How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
First of all, there is an important concept, and find a material that matches it.
I takes a very long time to find a material, how to express it, and what kind of technique
to use.
However, I don't make materials myself, so researching materials is not so long.
5・Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
As a work, I think that the final product is everything.
However, the thoughts generated in the process lead to the next thoughts and works,
so they are very important in my life.
6・Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
It is my father. My father was a painter and a professor at an art university. He was only
interested in his own work, and when I saw him pursuing his own work, I learned how to
live as an artist. Five years have passed since he died, and four retrospective exhibitions
have been held at museums in Japan. I am learning the fact that true artists stay alive.
7・Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on
your own?
I like collaboration very much. I have collaborated twice in the past. One is Takahiro
Iwasaki, the representative of the 2017 Venice Biennale Japan Pavilion. It was a support
project related to the Biennale, I was strongly inspired by the thoughts and commitment
of the top artists. And I was impressed by the work of the contemporary art gallerist.
The other is contemporary jewellery artist Fumiki Taguchi. Realized in 2018. He uses
metal to give a really special expression. It's an incredible work. He is a close friend who
can share the same feeling, so when we thought about the design together, the design
was decided immediately. They were really exciting works and I have hopes to continue.
8・Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
My heart is always looking for a new place.
Two years ago I had a solo exhibition at a contemporary art gallery. In Japan, it is
unusual for a jeweler to hold a solo exhibition at a contemporary art gallery. I thought
the concept was very important for exhibiting jewellery and making it recognized as
contemporary art. The result is a very successful solo exhibition in the history of the
gallery. Since it is in the form of jewelry that we can wear, the concept is completed and
it is recognized as a work of art. It's very important.
Next year, I have a solo exhibition at the same gallery, so I'm planning a new concept
work. I hope to discover and aim for new places after the solo exhibition.
9・What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
My thoughts change all the time, but I like jewelry and always think about new works. I
have more and more possibilities for the role that jewelry can do in society. It is the
excitement and discovery.
10・Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Hope & Diversity
News and culture of various countries. It's an opportunity to think about modern times
and history and act on what you can do. In particular, the situation and history of own
country (Japan) are important factors.
2・What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I think Jewellery should uplift the wearer's feelings.
On the other hand, the concept of my work involves contradictions and problems in the
consumer society.
I hope that by wearing my jewelry, it will become a communication tool for conversation.
3・Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
The most representative is the series that uses natural stones and synthetic stones.
Jewels have the power to simply make you think they are beautiful. I like its simplicity.
On the other hand, I'm also interested in the dark side of the long history of gems.
(But I've loved jewelry since I was little, so it may be instinct.)
In recent years, The role, trace and form of the objects that are not main products in a
consumer society have constantly interested me. When you buy a product, it always comes
with extras such as packaging and cushioning materials but we are not much aware of
paying for them. Some extras show their main productsʼ real natures better than these
products do. I think that making these extras into jewelry and wearing them as a
communication tool will help us develop new ideas and stories in our social lives.
In my work, a series that uses the frame part called "runner" after removing the parts of
the plastic model. Another series that uses only the lid of CHANEL's old perfume bottle.
4・How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
First of all, there is an important concept, and find a material that matches it.
I takes a very long time to find a material, how to express it, and what kind of technique
to use.
However, I don't make materials myself, so researching materials is not so long.
5・Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
As a work, I think that the final product is everything.
However, the thoughts generated in the process lead to the next thoughts and works,
so they are very important in my life.
6・Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
It is my father. My father was a painter and a professor at an art university. He was only
interested in his own work, and when I saw him pursuing his own work, I learned how to
live as an artist. Five years have passed since he died, and four retrospective exhibitions
have been held at museums in Japan. I am learning the fact that true artists stay alive.
7・Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on
your own?
I like collaboration very much. I have collaborated twice in the past. One is Takahiro
Iwasaki, the representative of the 2017 Venice Biennale Japan Pavilion. It was a support
project related to the Biennale, I was strongly inspired by the thoughts and commitment
of the top artists. And I was impressed by the work of the contemporary art gallerist.
The other is contemporary jewellery artist Fumiki Taguchi. Realized in 2018. He uses
metal to give a really special expression. It's an incredible work. He is a close friend who
can share the same feeling, so when we thought about the design together, the design
was decided immediately. They were really exciting works and I have hopes to continue.
8・Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
My heart is always looking for a new place.
Two years ago I had a solo exhibition at a contemporary art gallery. In Japan, it is
unusual for a jeweler to hold a solo exhibition at a contemporary art gallery. I thought
the concept was very important for exhibiting jewellery and making it recognized as
contemporary art. The result is a very successful solo exhibition in the history of the
gallery. Since it is in the form of jewelry that we can wear, the concept is completed and
it is recognized as a work of art. It's very important.
Next year, I have a solo exhibition at the same gallery, so I'm planning a new concept
work. I hope to discover and aim for new places after the solo exhibition.
9・What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
My thoughts change all the time, but I like jewelry and always think about new works. I
have more and more possibilities for the role that jewelry can do in society. It is the
excitement and discovery.
10・Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Hope & Diversity
BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH CLAUDIA LEPIK
Interview to the artist
1. Where is your inspiration coming from?
My inspiration comes from many different places - Estonian nature, music, photography but
mainly from fashion. I grew up seeing my mom sewing beautiful pieces all the time, beautiful
pieces to herself and taking inspiration from Vogues she bought. She is also good at
sketching so I started sketching my dream dresses on figures and later on found my way to
avant garde and theatrical fashion. I am mesmerised how fabrics move and cover the body. I
love creating with my hands.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your artwork?
I never conceptualize my pieces entirely. They mainly are created in the midst of emotions
and life chapters so I carry sentimental values with them. I create for myself, I don’t want to
lure anyone into my world with sweet makings but if they do find beauty in what I create, I
want to communicate freedom and let go of jewellery norms.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
On a small scale (sometimes I let myself to use on a big scale as well) I use 925 sterling
silver and to creare monumental pieces, I use brass because it is cheap and I still investigate
it’s qualities and colors. It brings me so much joy to be able to discover material (brass)
which is not commonly used in contemporary jewellery.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
With materials, it is easy - I use either sterling silver or brass. I do proper research for topics
I want to use in my creations and I find it important because I as a jewellery artist have a
voice and I do not want to make any mistakes with my facts.
5. Which is more important to you - process or final artwork?
Both. It’s an emotional rollercoaster when I create something (not too dramatic) and
finalising a piece of jewellery brings me so much joy and accomplishment.
6. Is there an artist you admire and why?
I truly admire Iris Van Herpen for being such a revolutionary artist in the fashion field -
bringing the 3D world into haute couture. I also like Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto for
their polar opposite designs in their peak time and input in freedom in fashion. I don’t dare to
take inspiration from jewellery because I feel like I tend unconsciously take direct inspiration
from them. I like how fashion designers have dialogue with the body and I am eager to find
my way in that.
7. Have you ever thought about collaborating with other artists or you like to work on
your own?
I love collaborating with other artists. In the past, I mainly focused on finding collaborations
with artists who are from different fields in art but now I have found likeminded people from
the jewellery world and I really enjoy it. Working on my own is fun as well but I do love the
energy that collaborations bring.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your latest artwork?
I feel like I have finally arrived at a place where I can understand myself more meaning - I
am combining jewellery and theatrical fashion. With the latest artwork I started my journey
on it.
1. Where is your inspiration coming from?
My inspiration comes from many different places - Estonian nature, music, photography but
mainly from fashion. I grew up seeing my mom sewing beautiful pieces all the time, beautiful
pieces to herself and taking inspiration from Vogues she bought. She is also good at
sketching so I started sketching my dream dresses on figures and later on found my way to
avant garde and theatrical fashion. I am mesmerised how fabrics move and cover the body. I
love creating with my hands.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your artwork?
I never conceptualize my pieces entirely. They mainly are created in the midst of emotions
and life chapters so I carry sentimental values with them. I create for myself, I don’t want to
lure anyone into my world with sweet makings but if they do find beauty in what I create, I
want to communicate freedom and let go of jewellery norms.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
On a small scale (sometimes I let myself to use on a big scale as well) I use 925 sterling
silver and to creare monumental pieces, I use brass because it is cheap and I still investigate
it’s qualities and colors. It brings me so much joy to be able to discover material (brass)
which is not commonly used in contemporary jewellery.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
With materials, it is easy - I use either sterling silver or brass. I do proper research for topics
I want to use in my creations and I find it important because I as a jewellery artist have a
voice and I do not want to make any mistakes with my facts.
5. Which is more important to you - process or final artwork?
Both. It’s an emotional rollercoaster when I create something (not too dramatic) and
finalising a piece of jewellery brings me so much joy and accomplishment.
6. Is there an artist you admire and why?
I truly admire Iris Van Herpen for being such a revolutionary artist in the fashion field -
bringing the 3D world into haute couture. I also like Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto for
their polar opposite designs in their peak time and input in freedom in fashion. I don’t dare to
take inspiration from jewellery because I feel like I tend unconsciously take direct inspiration
from them. I like how fashion designers have dialogue with the body and I am eager to find
my way in that.
7. Have you ever thought about collaborating with other artists or you like to work on
your own?
I love collaborating with other artists. In the past, I mainly focused on finding collaborations
with artists who are from different fields in art but now I have found likeminded people from
the jewellery world and I really enjoy it. Working on my own is fun as well but I do love the
energy that collaborations bring.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your latest artwork?
I feel like I have finally arrived at a place where I can understand myself more meaning - I
am combining jewellery and theatrical fashion. With the latest artwork I started my journey
on it.
brief interview with tore svensson
1. Where is your inspiration coming from?
My surroundings, mathematics, geometry, geography, art, daily life…..
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Harmony and sensitivity.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
Steel (Iron) I have come to the conclusion that it is the material that suits me best, to get the expression that I strive for. In the finished jewelry, the material has a minor importance. In my bowls, the material plays a completely different role.
In recent years I have worked a lot with wood in combination with paint.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Sometimes it can be interesting to try different material, when given the opportunity, for example at a workshop. However, it is not something I prioritize in my creation. At the beginning of my career, it was all more important to try different materials.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both are equally important. It is during the process that I seek out and make different decisions to achieve the result that I strive for. During the process, unexpected things can happen that sometimes add something interesting to the final result. In the end, the result is the most important.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
The list of artists I like can be made long. Richard Serra is one of them. The material, the weight and the balance create a mixture of horror, beauty and mystery.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
Not in the actual making of the jewelry but in other ways. KGB is an exhibition project I participate in together with Karin Seufert and Kim Buck.
From 2007 - 2011 I ran a gallery together with some colleagues in Gothenburg. Gallery hnoss. When the gallery was closed down, we continued as a group to curate exhibitions and to arrange seminars.
www.hnossinitiativ.se
instagram: hnoss.initiative
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
One small step back and one small step forward.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the year?
The last fifty years art have been the most important part of my life.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Shape, colour
My surroundings, mathematics, geometry, geography, art, daily life…..
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Harmony and sensitivity.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
Steel (Iron) I have come to the conclusion that it is the material that suits me best, to get the expression that I strive for. In the finished jewelry, the material has a minor importance. In my bowls, the material plays a completely different role.
In recent years I have worked a lot with wood in combination with paint.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Sometimes it can be interesting to try different material, when given the opportunity, for example at a workshop. However, it is not something I prioritize in my creation. At the beginning of my career, it was all more important to try different materials.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both are equally important. It is during the process that I seek out and make different decisions to achieve the result that I strive for. During the process, unexpected things can happen that sometimes add something interesting to the final result. In the end, the result is the most important.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
The list of artists I like can be made long. Richard Serra is one of them. The material, the weight and the balance create a mixture of horror, beauty and mystery.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
Not in the actual making of the jewelry but in other ways. KGB is an exhibition project I participate in together with Karin Seufert and Kim Buck.
From 2007 - 2011 I ran a gallery together with some colleagues in Gothenburg. Gallery hnoss. When the gallery was closed down, we continued as a group to curate exhibitions and to arrange seminars.
www.hnossinitiativ.se
instagram: hnoss.initiative
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
One small step back and one small step forward.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the year?
The last fifty years art have been the most important part of my life.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Shape, colour
BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH AMBROISE DEGENEVE
- Where is your inspiration coming from ? My inspiration is coming from the jewellery world, I try to experiment with the traditional techniques and representations from this field.
- What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork? I don’t know, I simply made jewellery, I let the interpretation to the public.
- Which material do you prefer to use and why ? I realy like metal, the technologies related to this material are fascinated, it can be forged, melted, sculpted, evaporated, electroformed, etc… It can be used in so many ways and each metal has different properties, this is just amazing.
- How much value do you give to researching material for your creations? Researching or experimenting is for me the first steps of my pieces so that’s very important even if some times it is not visible on the final piece.
- Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself? For me both of them are related.
- Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ? The prehistoric painters… A fabulous starting point.
- Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own? I prefer to work on my own, but collaborations are very interesting.
- Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection? Good question!
- What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ? A lot of things hopefully, but I’m maybe too shy to talk about it here…
Brief interview with jaiik lee
1. Where is your inspiration coming from?
My work is a process to capture how living things evolve and adapt to their environment over time. And in many cases I infuse my personal life into the theme. Since I represent living things, I have been inspired from natural objects. I have created not only art jewelry series, such as one titled “Lifeforms,” but also metal objects and illumination works. I also made large-size artworks for installation. My pieces vary in size, but shape is the most important element in delivering my thought and feeling. I express my feelings about situations I am in, and keywords of my work through shape. Of course, I try to express them very objectively. And I pursue organic and unrestrained shapes. I would like to say that my work nurses the irony that such shapes are made based on thoroughly calculated designs and techniques.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
As a full-time artist, it is very important that I present my artworks to audiencess and communicate my art to them. Of course, the main way to show my artworks is to participate in art fairs and exhibitions. I work as an artist who does so, and I also work as an exhibition director who plans an exhibition under a certain theme, collects artworks, and designs an exhibition space. In this aspect, I come to carefully care about the process of my work being introduced to audiences. This is why I work hard to post my works on social networking sites (SNS) and communicate with people. In particular, since my work is introduced on this magazine. I am excited and also nervous. I hope people will get good impression on my work. I launched to make my current series before the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, so I could not introduce many of my pieces to Europe. Many European art fairs I was scheduled to participate in were cancelled off or delayed because of the pandemic. I lost many opportunities to display my pieces. So I am more grateful for presenting my work on this.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I specialized in metal craft, so techniques to use metal are embedded in my body. As I know, many Korean metal craft artists work in the field of art jewelry, and it is a long-term trend. I think the trend influenced me to begin my work in the field of art jewelry. I usually made metal objects in the early period of my work, during which many of my colleague artists suggested to me to make art jewelry in techniques in which I made metal objects. But when I began making art jewelry, I came to wonder if I should make art jewelry only with metal. So I began making small objects with flexible leather board that I had used for mock-up or shape tests.
What I focus on in my work is to create organically curved surfaces. Before setting a design with a 3D program which is necessary to make my artwork, I figure out the proportions and curves of the piece I am about to make, and draw by hand new proportions and curves that are suitable to the metal boards I have. I make metal parts slightly different, based on precise designs I made, so their edges mesh accurately. And the connected edges are glued together, and I do not remove the connected lines that mark signs of growth and evolution. And it reveals the process of the work’s development, like a living thing. Following the process of making a metal object, I make my pieces with leather boards.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I think researching material for my work is very important because it influences the direction of my work and projects greatly. I believe an artist’s creation begins from the moment they are inspired and influenced from something. Due to this, I pay close attention to researching material and pour my will and effort into making a creative artwork at the same time.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
I specialized in metal craft at university and have since been making my pieces in the metal craft processes I learned at the time. So I think these processes are very crucial in my creation. If a step of a process is skipped, my work cannot go forward to the next step. And since I aim to sell my artworks to clients, their final states are very significant. I always struggle to enhance the quality of my artworks. And they prove that enhancement of my work quality comes from preciseness and perfection of my working process. What is unique in my work is to disclose such processes. Since I form metal objects and art jewelry based on integration of the patterns of boards, the way to connect boards is vital in my art. My artworks always have signs of integration. Someone may remove such signs, thinking of them as tainted, but since I think they are signs of growth and evolution, I always think of how I could leave them as they are in a positive aspect. I believe the lines seen in my artworks are the results of pushing myself to think about it deeply.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I have been inspired from many artists, so it is hard to choose one of them. Now, sculptor Lee Bontecou and architect Frank O. Gehry come to my mind. I feel Lee Bontecou’s work is very new and touching to me in her way of interpreting the world and her use of materials. And I deeply sympathize with Frank Gehry’s architecture. His creation is obviously unique and cannot be imitated by anyone. He seeks for organic and unrestrained forms and at the same time, sets up elaborate technical designs and fabrication methods for his work. I feel that this ironic approach to artworks is a common point between us.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
If I have a chance, I want to collaborate with media artists someday.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I don't wonder if I'm at certain point. I'm just thinkong about what to express from crrunt point of view.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years?
On looking back at my past, I found I have survived difficult situations. Since I am not only an art jewelry artist but also a metal object artist, I think I must look through all of my pieces to see myself as an artist. In 2019, I brooded over my change in art and launched the art jewelry series and metal object series that I am working on. Before making these series, I had always struggled about my identity as an artist. And I had also agonized over how I could convey my identity as a Korean artist. With these thoughts, I began making plans for a new chapter in my life as an artist and launched these series I mentioned above. And since I became a full-time artist at the time, going through big changes in my personal status, my attitude toward my work changed a lot, too. I then came to think of how I could create artworks that meet the expectation of viewers, beyond my satisfaction. It was a rough time in my life, when I made arworks in fear and expectation of my style change. Fortunately, my work was well received by people, but the COVID-19 pandemic then broke out and I came to miss opportunities to introduce my artworks. I have since been enduring the current situation relentlessly.
10.
Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
repit
brief interview with hongxia Wang
Where is your inspiration coming from ?
I wouldn’t say that I have a particular source of inspiration, I tend to work with a focus on methodology and
technique. The materials themselves dictate their treatment and combinations, and with that in mind I
experiment intuitively to find pleasing and exciting combinations, shapes, textures, etc.
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
The jewellery I make has its point of departure in my own curiosity and sense of playfulness, but I am
always excited to hear the associations and reflections sparked in others. Rather than communicating
‘something’ I hope to initiate a curiosity in the viewer, which then in turn can ignite new projects through
new ways of looking.
Which material do you prefer to use and why?
Due to my goldsmithing education, I tend to veer towards precious metals; silver and gold. The knowledge
and skills of how to manipulate these materials serve a core function in my process.
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Like most craftsmen, the majority of my work is the result of material research – behind the pieces lie
several experiments, failed attempts and excitement.
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The process.
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I like to read the short stories of David Sedaris. The lightness and wit of his writing is something I aspire to.
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I prefer to immerse myself in my own world.
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Whilst creating my latest collection of jewellery, I’ve felt immense freedom in my capabilities. Jewellery is,
after all, made to be worn and conventional jewellery reflects this. Through the different techniques I’ve
developed throughout the years, I’m able to be more expressive in my work without sacrificing ergonomics.
I can steer away from aesthetic conventions whilst still maintaining wearability – keeping the pieces light
and comfortable.
What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I have discovered that it’s my own responsibility to make my work and my process fun and playful. I keep
myself curious.
Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Playful and free.
I wouldn’t say that I have a particular source of inspiration, I tend to work with a focus on methodology and
technique. The materials themselves dictate their treatment and combinations, and with that in mind I
experiment intuitively to find pleasing and exciting combinations, shapes, textures, etc.
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
The jewellery I make has its point of departure in my own curiosity and sense of playfulness, but I am
always excited to hear the associations and reflections sparked in others. Rather than communicating
‘something’ I hope to initiate a curiosity in the viewer, which then in turn can ignite new projects through
new ways of looking.
Which material do you prefer to use and why?
Due to my goldsmithing education, I tend to veer towards precious metals; silver and gold. The knowledge
and skills of how to manipulate these materials serve a core function in my process.
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Like most craftsmen, the majority of my work is the result of material research – behind the pieces lie
several experiments, failed attempts and excitement.
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The process.
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I like to read the short stories of David Sedaris. The lightness and wit of his writing is something I aspire to.
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I prefer to immerse myself in my own world.
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Whilst creating my latest collection of jewellery, I’ve felt immense freedom in my capabilities. Jewellery is,
after all, made to be worn and conventional jewellery reflects this. Through the different techniques I’ve
developed throughout the years, I’m able to be more expressive in my work without sacrificing ergonomics.
I can steer away from aesthetic conventions whilst still maintaining wearability – keeping the pieces light
and comfortable.
What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I have discovered that it’s my own responsibility to make my work and my process fun and playful. I keep
myself curious.
Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Playful and free.
Brief Interview with Kim Buck
Interview with Kim Buck
Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Surroundings, contemporary times, large scale, small scale, collecting techniques and notions, language, social conventions
My work is always influenced by what surrounds me, both very literally with regard to tools and materials in my workshop, but also in a broader sense in society. What comes out is generally a combination of the two – jewellery inspired by idioms, social contexts, etc. produced to reflect or comment on these notions.
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
In my work I aim to visualize or comment on culture and human behaviour. I have, for instance, produced a lot of meta-jewellery, that is to say jewellery as a comment on how we use jewellery and what role it plays in our society.
Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
While I am a goldsmith, I very much enjoy exploring the potential of less traditional materials. In general, I use whatever best serves the work I am producing.
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Most of my time is spent researching materials and techniques. I don’t research with a specific project in mind, but I find myself developing new techniques out of curiosity. I then tend to collect these methods or materials and apply them when a fitting idea comes to mind.
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
For me, the process and the product combine to create the work itself. I’m not able to separate them.
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Ole Bent Petersen was a Danish goldsmith and a mentor of mine. I always admired him for his devil-may-care attitude and disregard for conventions.
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I thoroughly enjoy working on exhibitions and projects with other makers, but when it comes to my own work, I may be too stubborn or perfectionistic to let anyone but myself develop and produce it.
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Having rounded up an exhibition in Copenhagen and publishing a new book, I find myself at a turning point. I’m looking to enter a new chapter of my career, maybe one in which I am more careful with how I spend my time in the studio.
Where is your inspiration coming from ?
Surroundings, contemporary times, large scale, small scale, collecting techniques and notions, language, social conventions
My work is always influenced by what surrounds me, both very literally with regard to tools and materials in my workshop, but also in a broader sense in society. What comes out is generally a combination of the two – jewellery inspired by idioms, social contexts, etc. produced to reflect or comment on these notions.
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
In my work I aim to visualize or comment on culture and human behaviour. I have, for instance, produced a lot of meta-jewellery, that is to say jewellery as a comment on how we use jewellery and what role it plays in our society.
Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
While I am a goldsmith, I very much enjoy exploring the potential of less traditional materials. In general, I use whatever best serves the work I am producing.
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Most of my time is spent researching materials and techniques. I don’t research with a specific project in mind, but I find myself developing new techniques out of curiosity. I then tend to collect these methods or materials and apply them when a fitting idea comes to mind.
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
For me, the process and the product combine to create the work itself. I’m not able to separate them.
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Ole Bent Petersen was a Danish goldsmith and a mentor of mine. I always admired him for his devil-may-care attitude and disregard for conventions.
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I thoroughly enjoy working on exhibitions and projects with other makers, but when it comes to my own work, I may be too stubborn or perfectionistic to let anyone but myself develop and produce it.
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Having rounded up an exhibition in Copenhagen and publishing a new book, I find myself at a turning point. I’m looking to enter a new chapter of my career, maybe one in which I am more careful with how I spend my time in the studio.
Brief interview with Inni Pärnänen
BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH INNI PÄRNÄNEN
- Where is your inspiration coming from? My inspiration comes by working. Intuition is in many ways a very important tool to resolve and realize directions in my work. I am guided in my work by perceptions of correspondence in human built structures and natural forms and the thinking processes which these perceptions set in motion. Incorporating new and innovative technologies has increasingly become an important part of my practice. The technology I choose to use serves the materials and concepts of the work and often is a source of inspiration as well.
- What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork? Central to my working process as an artist and jewellery maker is the idea of a whole, being formed as the result of the repetition of a single element. Working with proportions and trying to achieve a balance in the quantity of the repeated element is fundamental to my work.
- Which material do you prefer to use and why? Often My process begins with an interest in a material or a technique. I prefer natural materials and I have always been fascinated about their surprising features. My work with wood and especially with birch plywood has continued for some time, but I don´t wish to bound my self into any specific material. Curiosity towards materials drives me forward.
- How much value do you give to researching material for your creations? Research is tin the very center of my work.
- Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself? The process leads to essential discoveries and helps to resolve the final piece. The process is also a constant source of inspiration for me.
- Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why? I do not wish to name any since there are many, but when it comes to the use of material, I find traditional craft techniques very inspiring. Artists that use tradition with an interesting twist attract me.
- Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own? Mainly I work on my own, but I have collaborated over the years with other artists as well.
- Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection? I work with several collections and ideas simultaneously. I have no idea where they finally lead me.
- What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years? I don´t consider myself only as a jewellery artist and designer as my practice has widened also into other realms of applied arts. I have learned that the traditional handicraft education is the backbone of my work, but it does not define my work. My work is material lead and there for related to Nordic Tradition.
- Two words to describe your last Artwork collection. Intuitive, meditative
Interview to Adriana del Duca
Brief interview with Adriana Del Duca
- Where is your inspiration coming from? My inspiration has a sensorial nature. It comes from my life experience of which the visual experience is a fundamental part as I grew up in a country - Venezuela - with a strong artistic ferment of great international importance. But emotions and thoughts are also part of my experience, which I try to translate into concrete works through the development of a new and personal language that mainly exploits the concepts of geometry and movement.
- What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork? With my works I try to communicate that there is no single point of view on things, which is why the resources of optical art are a fundamental aspect of my research. My works call for a greater participation of the observer, an amplified participation that is sometimes unconscious. It is always fascinating to discover through movement that an object can apparently generate other forms. At the basis of this principle I place instability, inconstancy or anything that does not have a single reading, a single perception.
- Which material do you prefer to use and why ? The materials are closely related to my project so they can be of any type.
- How much value do you give to researching material for your creations? I value a lot because their choice is functional to my idea and I admit that they are sometimes very difficult to find, but this is part of the creative processes of an artist. The creation of one's own materials is a completely admirable aspect but unfortunately not always possible so I sometimes find myself falling back on alternative materials that are equally suitable for the project. For the choice of materials I listen to the needs of the project, that is, for the concept of transparency I chose plexiglass (also colored), for the concept of empty-full space the pressed cardboard, for the reflections I used the steel but also mirrored plexiglass and so on. Sometimes the materials surprise you because they behave unexpectedly and intuition almost always turns out to be right.
- Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself? The process is important because it allows you to make corrections to the initial project. I feel very enthusiastic and involved during the process, unfortunately when the work reaches its completion I tend to detach myself from it, as if an abandonment happened, but a mutual abandonment. And immediately afterwards it begins to rise from that sediment, the memory of my experience, new inspiration for other projects.
- Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why? There are several artists that I admire, I cannot name them all otherwise I would run into the temptation to dwell a lot on them. But I can say that what I admire most in an artist when he creates a jewel is the combination of two aspects: the degree of difficulty in the technique used and the novelty of the language.
- Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own? Well, if it were possible to find a form of symbiosis where everyone can "use" the other, then it would be interesting to work with 4 or more hands. I believe that this type of collaboration requires a huge sense of balance dictated by a strong motivation to work together. For now I think I'll still be working alone.
- Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection? I always feel like I'm at square one. My research is a daily state that does not end once a result is achieved. Walk and evolve.
- What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ? Before even creating jewels I was an actress of experimental theater. I had already learned that art is a condition of total freedom, a territory in which nothing can be a limit. Making the invisible concrete is an act of magic. Creating is an act of magic that protects us from the materiality of life. Creating is an act of total evasion, of transformation, of salvation.
- Two words to describe your last Artwork collection. In my latest Infinites Homes collection, everything contributes to expressing the sensations and feelings experienced in the last 2 or 3 years. It is a work that, as in the previous ones, exploits geometry and their applications. Perhaps it is a work of transition between the previous language towards a more narrative project. We'll see.
Interview with david HUYCKE
Where is your inspiration coming from ?
My work is the result of a multitude of inspirations. Very often I start a new project with vague and changing ideas. In this early process I do a lot of research; drawing, painting, building models, reading, material and technique research, experiments in the studio... This is an intensive and sometimes long phase where I try to be sensitive and open to the unexpected. I stay in this phase until I get attracted by certain poetic patterns that become visible.
To be more specific, inspiration is very often the sphere, ranging from the smallest ones, the atoms, to the largest ones, the planets. Within this realm I work with ideas that derive from nature such as self-organization or the law of the least resistance. Examples can be found in growing structures, such as in fruit and flowers. Another theme I explored over the years is the geometric stacking of spheres, the ‘kissing spheres’ is a good example of that. Furthermore, I like to work with gravity, with cosmic ideas, with the cycle of day and night... Finally, and that is also one of the main challenges, is that these abstract ideas need to be materialized via techniques and materials into objects. Frequently these problematics determine the visual and esthetic character of the work.
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
What I aim for is that my work breathes a certain degree of stillness.
Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I prefer to work with silver, almost always. It is a material with many faces and qualities. It seems to have endless technical possibilities, it is loaded with meaning and gives me the aesthetic tools I need. Silver can be re-casted which is relaxing to know when working with riskfull techniques. Once in a while I also work with other metals, such as stainless steel and other materials, such as paint, to give an example.
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Very much, I always like to challenge the material and find new ways to use the material.
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both, because I believe that a good final piece is most of the time the result of an interesting process. Even when a work or idea comes into being in a very short time, never underestimate what happened before.
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
That is a question impossible to answer since there is not one artist in particular, I admire so many. Artists from the past and artists from now, painters, sculptors, jewellery artists and so on.
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I mostly work on my own.
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I do not think in collections. I rather think of my work as a whole, as a long continuous process. I like to rethink ideas of past work and connect it with new ideas, new interests. My last work for example is a reference to still life painting. It is a bunch of silver grapes lying on a rectangular vessel. It references directly my granulated work and granulated work of the classic period. The grapes versus the bowl also speak of chaos and order, a theme I have been working with a lot in the past.
What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Over the years I found out that I am attracted to making work that is difficult and that takes a lot of time to make. For being able to do this I have to train myself in certain actions and techniques. This is also an endless journey I enjoy, doing experiments, making failures, starting over, recasting the silver… This idea goes beyond the technical, I like to find the poetics in the impossible. Knowing in advance how the work will be and how the making will go does not interest me. It is this risk of the unknown and of failure that I am attracted to. It concentrates the mind.
Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Cosmic bubbles
David Huycke
My work is the result of a multitude of inspirations. Very often I start a new project with vague and changing ideas. In this early process I do a lot of research; drawing, painting, building models, reading, material and technique research, experiments in the studio... This is an intensive and sometimes long phase where I try to be sensitive and open to the unexpected. I stay in this phase until I get attracted by certain poetic patterns that become visible.
To be more specific, inspiration is very often the sphere, ranging from the smallest ones, the atoms, to the largest ones, the planets. Within this realm I work with ideas that derive from nature such as self-organization or the law of the least resistance. Examples can be found in growing structures, such as in fruit and flowers. Another theme I explored over the years is the geometric stacking of spheres, the ‘kissing spheres’ is a good example of that. Furthermore, I like to work with gravity, with cosmic ideas, with the cycle of day and night... Finally, and that is also one of the main challenges, is that these abstract ideas need to be materialized via techniques and materials into objects. Frequently these problematics determine the visual and esthetic character of the work.
What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
What I aim for is that my work breathes a certain degree of stillness.
Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
I prefer to work with silver, almost always. It is a material with many faces and qualities. It seems to have endless technical possibilities, it is loaded with meaning and gives me the aesthetic tools I need. Silver can be re-casted which is relaxing to know when working with riskfull techniques. Once in a while I also work with other metals, such as stainless steel and other materials, such as paint, to give an example.
How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Very much, I always like to challenge the material and find new ways to use the material.
Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both, because I believe that a good final piece is most of the time the result of an interesting process. Even when a work or idea comes into being in a very short time, never underestimate what happened before.
Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
That is a question impossible to answer since there is not one artist in particular, I admire so many. Artists from the past and artists from now, painters, sculptors, jewellery artists and so on.
Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I mostly work on my own.
Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I do not think in collections. I rather think of my work as a whole, as a long continuous process. I like to rethink ideas of past work and connect it with new ideas, new interests. My last work for example is a reference to still life painting. It is a bunch of silver grapes lying on a rectangular vessel. It references directly my granulated work and granulated work of the classic period. The grapes versus the bowl also speak of chaos and order, a theme I have been working with a lot in the past.
What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Over the years I found out that I am attracted to making work that is difficult and that takes a lot of time to make. For being able to do this I have to train myself in certain actions and techniques. This is also an endless journey I enjoy, doing experiments, making failures, starting over, recasting the silver… This idea goes beyond the technical, I like to find the poetics in the impossible. Knowing in advance how the work will be and how the making will go does not interest me. It is this risk of the unknown and of failure that I am attracted to. It concentrates the mind.
Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Cosmic bubbles
David Huycke
interview to Lore Langendries
- Where is your inspiration coming from ?
This interest also let to my PhD research: The PhD was an artistic research in reproduction: a fusion of natural materials, mechanical treatment and the human touch (HUNACTURING). Or in other words: Handling a computer controlled industrial technique like lasercutting via a craftsmanlike way of thinking and working, creating individual pieces within families. (Stopmotion of the process made during the Phd -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO9tcNc3_ms)
Also… Central to my work is the circle as a pure geometrical form showing the essence and beauty of various materials in their most elementary form. In a playful experimental approach my work almost always arises from a fascination for materials and their behavior. Materials are used as active agents in the design and making process, handling the material as subject and matter. The main role is reserved for animal hides since my research and I keep on exploring and playing with different aspects of the material until today…
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
- BEAUTY OF IMPERFECTION & IRREGULARITY
- FRAGMENT: I think making is always a form of fragmentation: we take something from the outside world and we create a concentration on something that is normally overlooked or even unknown, and as in jewelry bringing this close to the body. The fragments I create focus on the particular skin, on the natural hair direction and specific details, similar to a photographic image in which a particular subject is defined. This is in a way comparable to a close-up in photography and film. In a close-up space expands, but even though this is not the case in the brooches the result has the same effect. It draws attention to something that is not noticed or something that undergoes a metamorphosis through the fragmentation. It is a focus on hidden details, it doesn’t reveal what you can see vague already, it rather reveals new structures of matter. These fragments reveal or conceal, they hide or they evoke associations with the whole to which they belonged, the whole being the animal hide or the animal itself. This can create an image or a feeling of incompleteness, something that is broken. On the other hand, In some fragments the relationship with it’s origin is replaced by a new phenomena.
- TOUCH & TACTILITY: The world becoming more and more dominated by technology and the digital, virtual image, ensures an increasingly separation from the emotional and physical of artefacts. Due to the internet we are all visually and virtually connected, but not physically. We are falling out of touch, not only touch with the objects, but with the intelligence they embody: the empathy that is bound up in tangible things. The use of animal hides in jewelry, worn on the body, creates different feelings. On the one hand, it is unattractive wearing a hairy object, on the other hand it is attractive and stroking becomes an automatic reaction for the person wearing but also for the beholder. Our human instinct to stroke, touch and care for hairy and teddy-like things, but also other objects surrounding us, is in danger. Due to the internet we are all visually and virtually connected, but not physically. Touch or tactile perception is overshadowed by the visual culture in which we live, but still, those visual imagery makes touch and feel the hungriest senses of postmodernity. We are falling out of touch, not only touch with the objects, but with the intelligence they embody: and with the intelligence I mean the empathy and warmth that is bound up in tangible things. I guess corona, the separation from everything and even the lack of physical contact only made this stronger.
In world where we
keep longing for more,
we risk falling out of
touch with what we
already have. Take this
tool and care for this
hairy brooch as if it was
your own. Because it is.
A few months ago my solo exhibition ‘Please do Touch’ opened in art center Z33 in Hasselt, Belgium. Please do touch Is literally an ode to the sense of touch and most of the new work I’ve created originated from the idea and the fact that the public could and should actually touch the work. By entering the exhibition space people are already touched by the work, by a beaded curtain installation made out of 1500 springbok hide tubes.
And when entered the public is immediately confronted with a play of seeing and touching. A braille like wall installation: telling everyone to touch, but actually only blind people could read and so: touch.
- SERIALITY ISN’T LESS UNIQUE – if it is good once, why can’t it be good twice or hundreds of times? Seriality, repetition and multiplicity are key in my work. I love repetition in the making process, doing certain handlings over and over again, as a kind of meditation.
- QUESTIONING REPRODUCIBILITY WITHIN AN INDUSTRIAL CONTEXT: Thinking & working like a craftsman with an industrial and computer controlled machine like lasercutting. Exploring the artistic possibilities rather than using the technique as purely excecutive power/force.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
Besides, about 10 years ago I made a collection of objects and jewellery in glass, made from industrial produced pharmacy bottles. This series of work was created in the context of 'Toegepast 16', a design competition for young talent organized by 'Cultuurplatform Design' in Belgium. The archetypical pharmacy bottle was the starting point for this project. In contemporary, industrial and identical manufactured pharmacy bottles interventions were made and other materials were joined, both manual and industrial, to create jewellery and objects that attain a more human touch. Hereby, individual and simultaneous uniform pieces arose with the aid of a mass-produced item. Every violet glass pharmacy bottle was cut by hand and tranformed into a new object, pendant or bracelet, taking into account the form and function of the original artefact.
I’m longing to work with glass again for a few years now but have to create the time and focus to do this… I’m collecting empty perfume bottles for 5 years… I hope to show you some experiments and results of this in the future!
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
The material is my subject & matter! The material takes the lead, I follow and try to highlight what we normally overlook. The fragments I create focus on the particular skin, on the natural hair direction and specific details, similar to a photographic image in which a particular subject is defined. This is in a way comparable to a close-up in photography and film. In a close-up space expands, but even though this is not the case in the brooches the result has the same effect. It draws attention to something that is not noticed or something that undergoes a metamorphosis through the fragmentation. It is a focus on hidden details, it doesn’t reveal what you can see vague already, it rather reveals new structures of matter.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Seriality, repetition and multiplicity are key in my work. I love repetition in the making process, doing certain handlings over and over again, as a kind of meditation. Discovering and developing certain methods in creation. You can feel this in my work as well… showing individuals withing families. The process is key since my inspiration comes from the process or the way of producing. Questioing reproducibility, uniqueness and seriality in all my work.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Besides finding inspiration in materials and their properties I can be overwhelmed by the work of Kate MccGwire, Christien Meindertsma, Nick Cave, Studio Maarten Kolk & Guus Kusters, Idiots, Alexander McQueen, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Damien Hirst, Brancusi, Hella Jongerius & Aldo Bakker. Besides I think my vision, my identity and interests but also appreciation and admiration for other artists and their skills is visual in my little private collection of jewellery: Marc Monzò, Gésine Hackenberg, Christian Metzner Herman Hermsen, Märta Mattsson, Tine Deruysser, Céline Sylvester, Pauwels & Spaenjers, Akiko Kurihara, Maryvonne Wellen, Phylicia Gilijamse, Mieke Dierckx, Melani Lindroos and Davy Vanderheyden.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I like to be active in other fields, outside the jewelry field, as well. Collaborations can broaden your view, create other opportunities and get you out of your comfort zone. These collaborations inspire and can stimulate my jewelry as well.
My most important collaborations:
Holstein LL 1401 project – 366 Brooches x 366 Days x 366 People – Le CHAPERON Unlimited (2016)
Holstein LL 1401 was born from an unusual combination of a grid comprising identical circles, a natural cowhide and the reproductive laser cutting technology. Variation in skin thickness, hair growth and the colour of the hide transformed the automatically produced circles into individual artefacts, 366 brooches. In 2016 I did a collaboration with the wall installation together with LE CHAPERON Unlimited (an online gallery from Belgium). For one year we travelled with the Holstein installation through Belgium & The Netherlands to search for people who wanted a piece of the whole and become part of our Holstein Family. During this we year we’ve introduced the audience to a brooch a day on our social media by sharing an image, memory or quote. The HOLSTEIN brooches found a new home with a stranger slowly but surely, and started a new life. Every piece of the wall got a new future and face. Because every brooch that was sold, was replaced by a picture of the new owner, and put on the wall. Offline as well as online. A true HOLSTEIN family was born along the way and connected to each other by one cowhide. The project was all about connecting people, online and offline. In the shape of the HOLSTEIN family. With only 1 common divider, one small circle that holds and connects them together. What started off as a wall installation of 366 individual brooches, transformed to a true HOLSTEIN family after 366 days which was physically reunited in a closing event, bringing all family members together! (image Holstein LL 1401) - https://www.lechaperonunlimited.com
Tableskin - Verilin ( 2017)
In 2016-2017 I’ve collaborated with Verilin, a luxury linen manufacturer from Belgian with who I’ve created a tablecloth and bedlinen: Tableskin & Second Skin. Still emerging from my jewelry, the idea came to transfer the natural animal hides and their properties to a new natural carrier. Tableskin, played with the attractive and repulsive of hair at the table. The character and tactile appeal of the material was literally portrayed. A digital image of a roedeer hide was transformed into a natural linen fabric thanks to the combination of Verilin’s tradition, craftsmanship and innovation. The matching napkins derived from a close-up of a cowlick hair growth from the same hide. Where you could doubt with the tablecloth, there is no doubt with the napkins. You are wiping your mouth with hair.
Table skin received the Design-Led Crafts Award of The Henry Van de Velde Awards 2017 of Flanders DC for Design in Belgium.
WILD – Rayah Wauters from NAUWAU (2020)
WILD is a recent project since 2020. The project starts from a healthy ecosystem principle and tries to find an artistic solution for the overpopulation of the wild boar in the Belgian Forest. How can we use the wild boar and it’s original habitat as raw materials? And how can we adjust the processing and editing to one another without an impact on that habitat?
The project is a collaboration whit Rayah Wauters from NAUWAU. Our similar approach to natural materials brought us together. Rayah is an artistic maker making poetic archetypes in wood. The shape from trees are preserved, traces and fractures are emphasized by minor interventions. Her husband is an arborist, his waste material, is her main material;
So in WILD we want to achieve a harmony between biotope and organism, between tree and animal, wood and skin. In the past 6 months we where working on the first experiments and objects which are now presented at my Solo show ‘Please Do touch’ in Z33 in Belgium. In the first stage we’ve explored the expressive characteristics and new possibilities of both wildboar hide and wood. Through shaving, sanding, turning, brushing, cutting, folding and stacking, the two materials are both subject & matter in the conceptual, design and make process. The first group of objects, 5 solitairy yet combinable objects are showing the material in it’s most elementary form. A vase, a bowl, a pedestal, a hook and a wall object are presented in a hunting cabin to spy and explore the final objects in the exhitibion Please do touch!
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I never talk about collections since my work is continuously growing, taking small steps within the same context every time. But Earlier this year I’ve won a design award for young talent in Belgium and as a result I was invited by z33 to do a solo exhibition with old and new work. The exhibition has the title: PLEASE DO TOUCH – meaning everyone can stroke & touch the work.
Please do touch Is literally an ode to the sense of touch and most of the new work I’ve created originated from the idea and the fact that the public could and should actually touch the work. By entering the exhibition space people are already touched by the work, by a beaded curtain installation made out of 1500 springbok hide tubes.
And when entered the public is immediately confronted with a play of seeing and touching. A braille like wall installation: telling everyone to touch, but actually only blind people could.
I was offered 3 large rooms with 5 meter high ceilings. A unique opportunity for a person mostly creating small and 2 dimensional work. I had the idea to create totems where people could walk around, caress and stroke which resulted in 3 totems, each made from a different animal hide. Touching different aspects of our relation with animals. One was made from a typical meat & milk cow normally handled as a number, without identity now transformed into a totem as an ode the animal. The second totem was made from deer, hunted in the European forests as wink to the traditional hunting trophy. And the third and last one was made from a horse hide which was offered to me by a Belgian family who owned the horse for a long time. After it’s dead the hide was tanned as memory and when the father passed away nobody in the family wanted the hide of Othello and they gifted it to me to give it an extra worthy afterlife. Until a few months ago I still hadn’t done anything with the horse. Before I’ve always worked with animals from which the hides where by products of meat industry or from hunting. Our relation with a horse, keeping them as a pet and in this way handling them as an individual, is totally the opposite as our relation with a cow.
How humans deal with nature is a recurring motive in my practice. I’ve launched the term hunacturing in my PhD – an exceptional combination of three words: human, nature and manufacturing. Accordingly, my work mixes different dimensions of the interrelationship between humans and nature, covering the range from handling animal materials to the contrast between artificial and natural production.
To emphasize this every visitor was put on a uniquely numbered mirrored paper necklace during the opening. As an echo of how we number and ring animals.
Creating this exhibition and a lot of new work was such an experience, such an opportunity, but also makes me insecure…. The use of animal materials, although deriving from hunt or meat industry, not always appreciated… the longer the more I’m longing to search for ways how to imitate the characteristics of this natural, irregular material and create tactile & sensitive objects…
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I love creating, using my hands, I’m slow, passionate, energetic but often also very insecure. This last one forces me mostly to take new steps but also slows me down.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Please touch
INTERVIEW WITH Julia Bocanet
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
For me inspiration strikes either unexpectedly or after long research into a subject.
I prefer the first type of inspiration, because it feels more genuine. It can be the sparkle atop water inspiring a stone pattern, an object which I misread at first glance and think 'how beautiful it would be if it were like this or that', or two elements amid the mess on my workbench which interact well together. The design process then starts in my mind, where I cognitively sketch my ideas before I transfer them to paper to develop the design visually.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Although there is often a narrative leading to my designs, my final pieces do not aim to communicate.
My goal as a designer is to obtain stand-alone wearable objects, which show purity and elegance in their aesthetic. I avoid weighing it down with too much story - the object should not have to convince, convey or be decrypted. I advocate subtle and practical pieces, easy to combine and integrate into a wardrobe. If on top of that I can blend my own technical innovations into the design, like the connections on the 'mother-of-pearl pendant necklace' and 'broken pearl necklace', or the construction and closure of the 'boulevard' clutch I designed for Maeden, I feel proudest of my contribution to the market.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
At this point my favourite materials are mountain crystal, mother-of-pearl and sterling silver.
I love their understated elegance and purity. Since I work with a gemcutter, I can have the mountain crystal custom cut for my designs. This allows me to transform the material based on my own connotations, creating cabochons which mimic waterdrops or faceted baguettes reminiscent of diamonds. Mother-of-pearl I love for its subtle colours and landscapes hidden within its flat polished surface. And silver is my standard choice for its slightly industrial metallic look, warm whiteness and kind price as opposed to other precious metals.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Material research - understanding properties, strength and aging process - are crucial to me.
When creating my autonomous designs, I always wear my prototypes for a few weeks before production. Then I can truly see the strength of the piece and how the materials possibly dent, scratch or stretch with use. I also check the comfort level. When creating custom designs for customers, especially when they bring me objects of their own to integrate into the jewel, I will make tests and read about the requested materials to understand how to correctly handle and treat them, if they are unfamiliar to me. This does mean that I will sometimes dissuade a customer from using a certain metal or stone, even if they are very keen on using it, and suggest an alternative.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The outcome is the most important, to be beautiful and interesting and to look like a valuable addition to my previous work.
It is important to me that my work is technically sound and that it can be enjoyed by the wearer for a long time. I've come to learn that as a craftsmen the learning process never stops. Being a partly auto-didact maker means that a process will throw occasional curveballs that need to be solved. In that way the process is very important for me to grow as both a designer and a craftsman, but for the work itself the ups and downs of the process are not of consequence. We should only see the ups in the final result.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
There are many - from René Lalique and Ted Muehling in jewellery, to fashion brands like the The Row and Lemaire.
In jewellery design I really admire René Lalique for his immaculate combination of material and colour. He would choose materials not based on monetary value, but on the aesthetic value they brought to the design. I think that is the best way to approach your work. Next, contemporary designers and makers Ted Muehling and Gala Colivet Dennison inspire me, in their elegant yet bold shape language, where jewellery becomes nearly sculptural but remains very wearable. Muehling also has a fantastic sensibility for nature translation and use of colour and finish, which I admire immensely.
Other artists that influence me outside the realm of jewellery are fashion designers who present an aesthetic which makes my own heart beat faster. The outfits presented under Phoebe Philo's Celine, or at Lemaire, Jil Sander by the Meiers or The Row, make me dream as a jewellery designer. Their work presents backgrounds for which I would love to design jewellery.
7. Have you ever thought about collaborating with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
Although I mostly work alone, I love to collaborate with like-minded artists.
I was recently invited to design a bag for Maeden, a new Dutch luxury leather brand co-founded by Christian Heikoop who's creative vision I really appreciate. What I enjoyed tremendously about this particular collaboration was the fact that I could bring my jewellery knowledge to a craft previously unknown to me. I learned new skills and could challenge the leather craftsman with my unconventional design process. Besides the process being enriching, it was also very fun for me. I would love to have similar projects in the future. Alternatively, I'm also very attracted to the idea of designing jewellery collections for fashion brands, complementing their garments, or creating historical jewellery pieces for cinema and theatre.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
My last collection made me realize I love historical research and that it is a valuable contribution to my practice.
I wrote a book on the lost ways of wearing jewellery which are visible in 16th century European portraits, under the title Forgotten Wearability. Besides giving lectures on the topic and sharing the little known information, the research inspires me in making new designs. I'm keen on continuing this project on lost ways of wearing, because I'm interested in the application of objects. And I've discovered that this relation of the jewel to the body really fascinates me. So in the future I will likely look at other periods in Europe's jewellery history.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist over the years ?
I began my practice with a very austere palette in material and photography, but I've slowly begun to discover the value of colour.
Currently my work is also becoming more organic, by including for example more wax carved pieces, and the overall aesthetic is becoming softer. And I like this shift from seriousness to more poetry.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Forgotten Wearability
Julia Bocanet
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
For me inspiration strikes either unexpectedly or after long research into a subject.
I prefer the first type of inspiration, because it feels more genuine. It can be the sparkle atop water inspiring a stone pattern, an object which I misread at first glance and think 'how beautiful it would be if it were like this or that', or two elements amid the mess on my workbench which interact well together. The design process then starts in my mind, where I cognitively sketch my ideas before I transfer them to paper to develop the design visually.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Although there is often a narrative leading to my designs, my final pieces do not aim to communicate.
My goal as a designer is to obtain stand-alone wearable objects, which show purity and elegance in their aesthetic. I avoid weighing it down with too much story - the object should not have to convince, convey or be decrypted. I advocate subtle and practical pieces, easy to combine and integrate into a wardrobe. If on top of that I can blend my own technical innovations into the design, like the connections on the 'mother-of-pearl pendant necklace' and 'broken pearl necklace', or the construction and closure of the 'boulevard' clutch I designed for Maeden, I feel proudest of my contribution to the market.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
At this point my favourite materials are mountain crystal, mother-of-pearl and sterling silver.
I love their understated elegance and purity. Since I work with a gemcutter, I can have the mountain crystal custom cut for my designs. This allows me to transform the material based on my own connotations, creating cabochons which mimic waterdrops or faceted baguettes reminiscent of diamonds. Mother-of-pearl I love for its subtle colours and landscapes hidden within its flat polished surface. And silver is my standard choice for its slightly industrial metallic look, warm whiteness and kind price as opposed to other precious metals.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
Material research - understanding properties, strength and aging process - are crucial to me.
When creating my autonomous designs, I always wear my prototypes for a few weeks before production. Then I can truly see the strength of the piece and how the materials possibly dent, scratch or stretch with use. I also check the comfort level. When creating custom designs for customers, especially when they bring me objects of their own to integrate into the jewel, I will make tests and read about the requested materials to understand how to correctly handle and treat them, if they are unfamiliar to me. This does mean that I will sometimes dissuade a customer from using a certain metal or stone, even if they are very keen on using it, and suggest an alternative.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
The outcome is the most important, to be beautiful and interesting and to look like a valuable addition to my previous work.
It is important to me that my work is technically sound and that it can be enjoyed by the wearer for a long time. I've come to learn that as a craftsmen the learning process never stops. Being a partly auto-didact maker means that a process will throw occasional curveballs that need to be solved. In that way the process is very important for me to grow as both a designer and a craftsman, but for the work itself the ups and downs of the process are not of consequence. We should only see the ups in the final result.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
There are many - from René Lalique and Ted Muehling in jewellery, to fashion brands like the The Row and Lemaire.
In jewellery design I really admire René Lalique for his immaculate combination of material and colour. He would choose materials not based on monetary value, but on the aesthetic value they brought to the design. I think that is the best way to approach your work. Next, contemporary designers and makers Ted Muehling and Gala Colivet Dennison inspire me, in their elegant yet bold shape language, where jewellery becomes nearly sculptural but remains very wearable. Muehling also has a fantastic sensibility for nature translation and use of colour and finish, which I admire immensely.
Other artists that influence me outside the realm of jewellery are fashion designers who present an aesthetic which makes my own heart beat faster. The outfits presented under Phoebe Philo's Celine, or at Lemaire, Jil Sander by the Meiers or The Row, make me dream as a jewellery designer. Their work presents backgrounds for which I would love to design jewellery.
7. Have you ever thought about collaborating with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
Although I mostly work alone, I love to collaborate with like-minded artists.
I was recently invited to design a bag for Maeden, a new Dutch luxury leather brand co-founded by Christian Heikoop who's creative vision I really appreciate. What I enjoyed tremendously about this particular collaboration was the fact that I could bring my jewellery knowledge to a craft previously unknown to me. I learned new skills and could challenge the leather craftsman with my unconventional design process. Besides the process being enriching, it was also very fun for me. I would love to have similar projects in the future. Alternatively, I'm also very attracted to the idea of designing jewellery collections for fashion brands, complementing their garments, or creating historical jewellery pieces for cinema and theatre.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
My last collection made me realize I love historical research and that it is a valuable contribution to my practice.
I wrote a book on the lost ways of wearing jewellery which are visible in 16th century European portraits, under the title Forgotten Wearability. Besides giving lectures on the topic and sharing the little known information, the research inspires me in making new designs. I'm keen on continuing this project on lost ways of wearing, because I'm interested in the application of objects. And I've discovered that this relation of the jewel to the body really fascinates me. So in the future I will likely look at other periods in Europe's jewellery history.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist over the years ?
I began my practice with a very austere palette in material and photography, but I've slowly begun to discover the value of colour.
Currently my work is also becoming more organic, by including for example more wax carved pieces, and the overall aesthetic is becoming softer. And I like this shift from seriousness to more poetry.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Forgotten Wearability
Julia Bocanet
INTERVIEW WITH Maija Vitola
1. Where is your inspiration coming from?
The inspiration for my work is the course of a human life, the experience gained in it, the fundamental values that layer by layer makes the jewel something valuable. There have always been many symbols in my works - this is the way I express my inner feelings.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Through my works I try to show my experiences, values that I believe in and what is important to me, like Love - the first feeling that we meet at the beginning of our life, the force that leads us and are foundations of our life’s comprehension. The sensual intimate message and technical perfectionism are equally important to me.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
I love working with natural materials such as bone, wood, horn. I have widened my experience in this field for the past few years. Bone itself has been a part of wildlife so it always maintains a feeling of life and soul as it has been, in a sense, a life carrier.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
The choice of material depends on the purpose of the work. I don't prefer using new technologies creating my works - for me it’s all about the connection between my mind and hands - sometimes it feels like our hands think for themselves I think there can never be a replacement for human brain and hand skills. When I'm carving material by hand it feels like the material tells its own story, allowing me to create works that are unique and sculptural representations of my world.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
For me the both are equally necessary. Creating jewelry for me is a beautiful, creative and time-consuming process.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why?
I love many artists works so it’s impossible to point out just one. Growing up in a family of artists, I have been interested in art since early childhood. For a very long time I was infatuated with graphic arts - I really like ancient Japan graphic art due to its delicacy and technical possibilities. I admire the quality of greatest sculptors such as Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Auguste Rodin and others. Also I can find inspiration in other art forms - like films, books, theater performances and music. I really love Nick Cave music.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
I prefer to work on my own.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Every collection is one step further. Soul-searching and growth are eternal process.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years?
As I love creating, and using my hands I find out that I’m living life that I have always wanted. My workshop is set up at home, allowing me to work every day and at any time of the day whenever I want to. Creative process helps me to overcome any difficult situation - emotionally, allows me to distance myself from all kinds of bad news. Over the years I found out that I really enjoy to make works that is difficult and time consuming - I have found it for myself like some kind of meditation.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Pure Confession
The inspiration for my work is the course of a human life, the experience gained in it, the fundamental values that layer by layer makes the jewel something valuable. There have always been many symbols in my works - this is the way I express my inner feelings.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Through my works I try to show my experiences, values that I believe in and what is important to me, like Love - the first feeling that we meet at the beginning of our life, the force that leads us and are foundations of our life’s comprehension. The sensual intimate message and technical perfectionism are equally important to me.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why?
I love working with natural materials such as bone, wood, horn. I have widened my experience in this field for the past few years. Bone itself has been a part of wildlife so it always maintains a feeling of life and soul as it has been, in a sense, a life carrier.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
The choice of material depends on the purpose of the work. I don't prefer using new technologies creating my works - for me it’s all about the connection between my mind and hands - sometimes it feels like our hands think for themselves I think there can never be a replacement for human brain and hand skills. When I'm carving material by hand it feels like the material tells its own story, allowing me to create works that are unique and sculptural representations of my world.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
For me the both are equally necessary. Creating jewelry for me is a beautiful, creative and time-consuming process.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why?
I love many artists works so it’s impossible to point out just one. Growing up in a family of artists, I have been interested in art since early childhood. For a very long time I was infatuated with graphic arts - I really like ancient Japan graphic art due to its delicacy and technical possibilities. I admire the quality of greatest sculptors such as Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Auguste Rodin and others. Also I can find inspiration in other art forms - like films, books, theater performances and music. I really love Nick Cave music.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
I prefer to work on my own.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Every collection is one step further. Soul-searching and growth are eternal process.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years?
As I love creating, and using my hands I find out that I’m living life that I have always wanted. My workshop is set up at home, allowing me to work every day and at any time of the day whenever I want to. Creative process helps me to overcome any difficult situation - emotionally, allows me to distance myself from all kinds of bad news. Over the years I found out that I really enjoy to make works that is difficult and time consuming - I have found it for myself like some kind of meditation.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Pure Confession
Interview with Karola Torkos
Brief interview with the artist Karola Torkos
- Where is your inspiration coming from?
I think inspiration is out there everywhere. Life itself, everyday objects, a bike ride, a piece of scrap, a colour, a shape, a mechanism and a big portion of coincidence and keeping the mind and senses open to receive them. - What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Mostly I understand jewellery as being a joyful companion for a wearer and an object of pleasure for the observer. I wish to communicate the beauty of profane objects, seemingly worthless materials and thus question values within the jewellery world in a broader sense. - Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
There is no preference as such. A lot of times materials find me and I try to react to them in that specific situation, whether they are precious or a found object. And of course I love fine gold but rarely use it at present. - How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I have a tendency to research material for its impact on environment, health, carbon footprint, origin (especially precious metals and stones) etc etc. - Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Both are equally important. However I’m fearless when it comes to dismantling and reworking my own jewellery, so I guess there is sometimes more focus on the process. - Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why?
There are so many…! - Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I love working on my own but also did a couple of collaborations in the past. From work with fashion designers to projects on tableware with a product designer. I’m also part of the organizing panel of the ERFURT JEWELLERY SYMPOSIUM, so collaborating on co-organizing a biannual project is a part of my artist life as well. - Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
As my work is in a constant flow I don’t really have a ‘last collection’ per se. However I am content and happy with my work but also feel ideas need to move to another level. There are vague outlines but nothing definite yet. - What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years?
Trust the process, believe in life, embrace all the happy accidents, nourish your roots and always have colour around you. - Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
simplicity and opulence
Interview with Yuki Sumiya
Interview with the Artist Yuki Sumiya
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
It’s from all of our lives. I am especially inspired by the duality in nature such as its ability to take life and give life or to destroy and create. At the same time, I see this force of opposites as a means to keep a balance in the natural world. I also believe that humans are part of nature which is very important to my roots.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Surprise, wit, and value transformation
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
My work combines metal, natural lacquer and used nylon stockings. This process symbolizes a unique fusion of artificial and natural substances. This is because my work has been influenced by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Since then, I have become more aware of the relationship between the artificial and natural world. The materials reference the concept regarding this relationship. For me, nylon represents the artificial world while lacquer represents the natural world. As for metals, it has to do with my childhood experience, when I was child, my grandfather ran a small iron factory and the metal was present in my life. I loved his factory which smelled of iron and oil. And also, metal is a mineral that is mined from the earth. By combining metal with various materials, my hope is for people to think about where these materials came from when they wear my work.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I’m always looking for materials and what is important is whether or not the material fits the concept I am trying to express.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
I think both are important. Keep thinking, and experimenting, while my hands are busy.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Takashi Kuribayashi who has never escaped to think about his social questions and to keep expressing them through his beautiful and dynamic artwork.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I enjoy working on exhibitions with artists together. Also, collaborating with artists of other genres is a great way to discover new things.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I would like to do more research on nylon stockings material and I would also try to create a large piece.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Having a solo exhibition at the gallery deux poissons this year was a big step for me. It was an opportunity for me to rethink what I should create in a year under these circumstances. I’m going to continue to think about it in the future.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Everyday scenery, Keep a balance
Yuki Sumiya
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
It’s from all of our lives. I am especially inspired by the duality in nature such as its ability to take life and give life or to destroy and create. At the same time, I see this force of opposites as a means to keep a balance in the natural world. I also believe that humans are part of nature which is very important to my roots.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Surprise, wit, and value transformation
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
My work combines metal, natural lacquer and used nylon stockings. This process symbolizes a unique fusion of artificial and natural substances. This is because my work has been influenced by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Since then, I have become more aware of the relationship between the artificial and natural world. The materials reference the concept regarding this relationship. For me, nylon represents the artificial world while lacquer represents the natural world. As for metals, it has to do with my childhood experience, when I was child, my grandfather ran a small iron factory and the metal was present in my life. I loved his factory which smelled of iron and oil. And also, metal is a mineral that is mined from the earth. By combining metal with various materials, my hope is for people to think about where these materials came from when they wear my work.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
I’m always looking for materials and what is important is whether or not the material fits the concept I am trying to express.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
I think both are important. Keep thinking, and experimenting, while my hands are busy.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
Takashi Kuribayashi who has never escaped to think about his social questions and to keep expressing them through his beautiful and dynamic artwork.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I enjoy working on exhibitions with artists together. Also, collaborating with artists of other genres is a great way to discover new things.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I would like to do more research on nylon stockings material and I would also try to create a large piece.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
Having a solo exhibition at the gallery deux poissons this year was a big step for me. It was an opportunity for me to rethink what I should create in a year under these circumstances. I’m going to continue to think about it in the future.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Everyday scenery, Keep a balance
Yuki Sumiya
Interview with Vivienne Varay
Brief interview with the artist
- Where is your inspiration coming from?
My work is inspired by my relationships and my struggles with anxiety and intimacy. Right now, I have four different projects that I am working on in my studio, all inspired from different experiences and concepts, utilizing vastly different materials such as silver, clay, cosmetics, and fur. I really enjoy having multiple ideas and projects to work on, and allowing my work to evolve and develop naturally on its own. Over the last few months I have begun to notice how ideas of domesticity and marriage have been impacting my practice and work. - What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
I tend to be very quiet and observant. So, I struggle with being open and comfortable in interpersonal relationships. My work creates that channel of communication that I lack verbally with others, and creating and sharing my work helps me communicate feelings I might otherwise be uncomfortable to share. - Which material do you prefer to use and why?
The materials I use are dependent on the concept of the work. I always try to change my materials with each body of work: I need to explore, discover a new idea, and create a change. I would say that I work a lot with fiber based materials, pearls, precious stones and metals, animal and my own bodily discards. Some of the materials in my work I have collected over the years as souvenirs from a lived experience, and that experience helps inform the concept behind the object.
Right now I am working on a body of work called Feint-Hearted, a series of bodily objects about my struggles with intimacy in my current relationship. In this work I am using rabbit fur and pins and needles as my primary material. The rabbit fur I purchased from a cruelty free trading post in Tennessee in 2014 during my graduate studies. At the time I was making lots of fetish objects, and I wanted to make a large sex pillow out of white rabbit fur. I chose rabbit fur for this piece because of symbolic connections between rabbits and fertility, and the luxurious feeling of the fur. However, I felt disgusted by this object I had made because I didn’t make it for myself. So, I tore it apart and turned it into a “Love” Blanket with quotes from my partner sewn on soft pink cotton squares. I was still disgusted by the piece for the same reason as before. This blanket sat on top of a shelf for 5 years, always in the back of my mind, and always something I was concerned with. Something that I struggled to forget and forgive myself for. In 2020, I tore the blanket apart and started a new body of work that I have committed myself to for the next five years. The conflict I developed with the fur over time is changing how I am approaching the material, creating objects that more authentically represent my issues with intimacy. - How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
It is extremely important to my practice and probably what I spend most of my time doing. I have discarded several projects over the years because the materials I used didn’t accurately represent the concept and I had to start over. - Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
Ultimately, the process. My current work involves inserting thousands of pins and needles into objects created from the fur, which is a tedious and repetitive process that pushes my endurance. The struggle with that process is just as much part of the final piece as the materials themselves. There are a lot of projects that I have going on in my studio that I choose not to share because I am invested in the emotional process of making it. Sometimes what I am making is personal and only for me. I tend to struggle with sharing my work unless I feel that it’s something others can learn from or enjoy. - Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why ?
I would say that I admire my mentors Mary Hallam Pearse and Lola Brooks. The two of them taught me how to be an artist and develop a life and practice that is authentically my own. They always asked hard questions and challenged me to think differently about my work and to question what I was making. They’re the most intelligent women I have known, and I am grateful to learn from them during my graduate studies. - Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists, or do you like to work on your own?
I prefer to work on my own, but lately I have been trying to start a few collaborations with other artists. Collaborations are not something that I have a lot of experience with, and I am interested in expanding my practice and working more intimately on special projects with others. - Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
I will be approaching the half way point of my current work in about 6 months. I would say that I am on point to completing the work within my time frame. This is the longest project I have worked on and it’s ultimately taking 10 years. - What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I like to work at my own pace and I am very particular to the environment I create in. My current work has made me feel more confident in myself as an artist, I’m more comfortable sharing the work and trying new things. - Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Hard and Soft.
Interview to Katrin Veegen
Interview with the Artist
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
From outside and inside. From future hopes and memories. From puzzles and conclusions. From shatters and balance. From every day and eternal. From good and bad. From witty and dull. From burning colors and foggy haze. And all the places in between.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Usually quite basic human conditions that still surprise and confuse even as we grow and gain more experience. Emotions that on a universal level unite and yet individually often seem to seal us in a gray bubble if not provoked. In my more design oriented pieces I rather like to play with the form and structure. Taking things apart and putting them back together, valuing the inner, sometimes hidden, balance and outer controversy.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
This varies a lot. In conceptual pieces I let the process and the underlying idea carry me away and through that try to find materials that serve the purpose in a best way possible. I may start with one and end up with a completely different material or technique. I have used sushi sticks, jesmonite, leather, bottle caps, paint, many different metals and stones, ostrich bone and so on. But the dominant of all is definitely silver that I trust the most.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
It is very refreshing and exiting to find a need to use materials that I have no previous experience with. It is a brand new relationship with its learning curve. This sometimes takes me to paths and revelations, were I would not have ended up otherwise. Here is the place where many “happy accidents” happen.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
I do enjoy the journey. It helps me grow and challenges me on many different levels and it gives time to contemplate. Final artwork gives me pleasure and it keeps the door open for the next step, to start with a new journey. Sometimes I think there is not such a thing as a finished piece, they are all small chapters of a longer story.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why?
I admire many for different reasons. Some for their energy, some for they technical skills, some for the fresh and bold way of seeing things, some for their humor, some for simplicity where everything unnecessary has been stripped away and thus reached the core essence of things.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I have thought about it, just for pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Working with others usually spikes my energy up over the top but soon I find falling from the peak of that burst into empty tiredness. So short term collaborations suite me, but not long and intense ones. I burn out quickly.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Between chapters.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I have learned to trust the process more and to give myself permission to fail and try again without fixed expectations. And that it is ok to be just me on my own personal path. To be kinder towards myself.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Braking raw
Katrin Veegen
1. Where is your inspiration coming from ?
From outside and inside. From future hopes and memories. From puzzles and conclusions. From shatters and balance. From every day and eternal. From good and bad. From witty and dull. From burning colors and foggy haze. And all the places in between.
2. What are you trying to communicate with your Artwork?
Usually quite basic human conditions that still surprise and confuse even as we grow and gain more experience. Emotions that on a universal level unite and yet individually often seem to seal us in a gray bubble if not provoked. In my more design oriented pieces I rather like to play with the form and structure. Taking things apart and putting them back together, valuing the inner, sometimes hidden, balance and outer controversy.
3. Which material do you prefer to use and why ?
This varies a lot. In conceptual pieces I let the process and the underlying idea carry me away and through that try to find materials that serve the purpose in a best way possible. I may start with one and end up with a completely different material or technique. I have used sushi sticks, jesmonite, leather, bottle caps, paint, many different metals and stones, ostrich bone and so on. But the dominant of all is definitely silver that I trust the most.
4. How much value do you give to researching material for your creations?
It is very refreshing and exiting to find a need to use materials that I have no previous experience with. It is a brand new relationship with its learning curve. This sometimes takes me to paths and revelations, were I would not have ended up otherwise. Here is the place where many “happy accidents” happen.
5. Is it more important for you the process, or the final Artwork itself?
I do enjoy the journey. It helps me grow and challenges me on many different levels and it gives time to contemplate. Final artwork gives me pleasure and it keeps the door open for the next step, to start with a new journey. Sometimes I think there is not such a thing as a finished piece, they are all small chapters of a longer story.
6. Is there an Artist you prefer & admire and why?
I admire many for different reasons. Some for their energy, some for they technical skills, some for the fresh and bold way of seeing things, some for their humor, some for simplicity where everything unnecessary has been stripped away and thus reached the core essence of things.
7. Have you ever thought to collaborate with other Artists , or do you like to work on your own?
I have thought about it, just for pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Working with others usually spikes my energy up over the top but soon I find falling from the peak of that burst into empty tiredness. So short term collaborations suite me, but not long and intense ones. I burn out quickly.
8. Where do you feel you are at with your last Art collection?
Between chapters.
9. What have you discovered about yourself as an Artist along the years ?
I have learned to trust the process more and to give myself permission to fail and try again without fixed expectations. And that it is ok to be just me on my own personal path. To be kinder towards myself.
10. Two words to describe your last Artwork collection.
Braking raw
Katrin Veegen
