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SHORT STORIES. Contemporary and Conceptual Jewellery
March 3, 2018 - May 17, 2018

From March 3 until May 17, 2018
at Art gallery PUTTI
International exhibition
SHORT STORIES. Contemporary and Conceptual Jewellery
When speaking about contemporary and conceptual jewellery, each piece is like a real story, which encourages dialogue and requires a deeper understanding. JEWELLERY PIECES – or short stories – generate awakening emotions and special reality that exceeds our wildest expectations.
Absolute emotional understanding. These stories pass an intellectual message to both a spectator and a wearer.
Exhibition brings together jewellery artists from Latvia and abroad.
Exhibition visitors will have an opportunity to view and purchase different “short stories”. First, all pieces of jewellery have their signature technical motion, unique evidence of author’s ideas. These stories are never-ending creations of fantasy. Secondly, they are commercial pieces that are replicated and have a commercial aspect.
Thirdly, pieces of jewellery can be tiny objects, which, like customised tools, express an idea.
However, all above mentioned has no value. What matters is the connection between the piece and the spectator, between the piece and the wearer.
French conceptual jewellery artist Emmanuel Lacoste once said, “Among all types of artistic creation, there is one essential thing that sets jewellery apart: its direct physical contact with the body”.
Artist list: Sofia Björkman (Sweden), Valdis Brože (Latvia), Annette Dam (Denmark), Pia Groh (Germany), Liisa Hashimoto (Japan), Maria-Louise Kristensen (Denmark), Triin Kukk (Estonia), Emmanuel Lacoste (France), Ariel Lavian (Israel), Réka Lörincz (Hungary), Gigi Mariani (Italy), Merlin Meremaa (Estonia), Simeon Shomov (Bulgaria), Hansel Tai (Estonia), Tanel Veenre (Estonia), Maija Vītola (Latvia), Kira Yurina (Japan), Māris Šustiņš (Latvia), Paula Treimane (Latvia)
ANNETTE DAM
For me making contemporary jewellery is way of reflecting upon the world and the culture that I am a part of. My jewelry is created in a sensual and narrative universe, preferably combining an element of seriousness and a sense of humor. The work method used includes a variety of questions to myself as well as the society around me. These questions are put through a process, where abstract thoughts are transformed to physical form and materials. Ideas get discovered, sorted, disposed of, flipped around, recomposed – inspiration seen, sensed, absorbed. All these elements are recombined into new portable stories. I create unique works and projects for exhibitions, retaining a goal to further develop and experiment with jewelry’s possible expressions bordering between craft and art.
- Annette Dam ”Happiness ascribed”, brooch-oxidized silver, copper, resin, epoxy. Photo by Dorte Krogh
- Annette Dam ”Million years after Homo Sapiens ”, brooch – 14K gold, amber, plastic pearls, plastic, resin. Photo by Dorte Krogh
- Annette Dam ”Transcendence”,brooch – oxidized silver, copper, resin. Photo by Dorte Krogh
ARIEL LAVIAN
As far as I’m concerned, the design process is dynamic. In most cases, I have a theme or title in my head, and from there I continue to materials. From the materials I create sketches; the process is often accompanied by documentation, text and / or video. It is possible that I will put an object in front of me for a few months, until I am sure of the correct composition. Some may call it a piece of jewelry, but it can also be a form to criticize topics or to show consent / disagreement on various issues.
- Ariel Lavian ”My garden – spring Time”, brooch – rose, bee, bark
- Ariel Lavian ”My garden – spring time”, brooch – twigs, coal
- Ariel Lavian, ”My garden – spring time”, ring – soil, branch, stone
MARIE – LOUISE KRISTENSEN
I got into jewelry making with a background as a sculptor.
I started painting and refurbishing my new apartment and it brought me into close contact with all kinds of heating- and radiator pipes and thermostats and the like. And that kind of got me going…
I then started a new body of works with a reference to industrial design and their combinations with more surreal elements. Alongside with a long-time fascination by the spam-box in my e-mail program, I hand-picked texts from the subject fields, thereby collecting both titles and inspiration for my works.
- Marie-Louise Kristensen ”A Chair”, brooch, wood, gold plated brass, thread. Photo by Dorte Krogh
- Marie-Louise Kristensen ”How to get Thin Quick”, brooch – silver 925′, milliput, cernit Photo by Dorte Krogh
- Marie-Louise Kristensen, ”CPH park bench”, brooch – brass, wood. Photo by Dorte Krogh
TRIIN KUKK
I am provoking familiar yet strange feelings of recognition of objects used in daily life. Things are where they shouldn’t be, objects lose their primary functions to create a potential space for so-called “UFO-moments” which I consider to be essential and necessary aspects of life for distracting our automatic movements and habits.
This series is made of old graters, metal parts of a washing machine, sieves, cake forms and so on.
The process of making and experimentation around the material, as important as final results, are at the heart of the work.
Contemporary jewellery is an intimate manifestation of its wearer.
- Triin Kukk, brooch – stainless steel, steel, silver 925′, plastic
- Triin Kukk, brooch – stainless steel, steel, silver 925′, plastic
- Triin Kukk, necklace – stainless steel, steel, silver 925′, plastic, string
MERLIN MEREMAA
In my working process I’m very intuitive. I like the freedom that I can work with very different materials – there are no boundaries. If I start to work with a new piece of jewellery I don’t take a pen to my hands at first. My working method or approach is more like hands on – I rather begin with seeking the right material. Material is like a companion what is moving all the time and sometimes can start to speak its own story in between my fingers. At the same time, the material itself should not be over emphasized either. I believe it’s all about a good balance between the idea, concept and material.
- Merlin Meremaa, brooch – forged steel sponge, steel wire
- Merlin Meremaa, brooch – forged steel sponge, steel wire
- Merlin Meremaa, brooch – forged steel sponge, steel wire
HANSEL TAI
Like every other form of creating, it starts with an idea. For me personally it’s a chaotic process of unique and inspiring materials colliding with virtual images in my head. The work Soul Mating is a deep dive into desire and nature. And the ambiguity intertwined within the two aspects. The erotic form of the work is a confession of self-consciousness and uncertainty, an imitation of nature. It contains vastly random generated shapes, and endless movements sealed within each piece.
- Hansel Tai ”Soul Mating VIII”, brooch – cow horn, acrylic, silver 925′
- Hansel Tai ”Soul Mating X” brooch – buffalo horn, acrylic, silver 925′
- Hansel Tai ”Soul Mating XI”, necklace – cow horn, acrylic, silver 925′, zebra wood
SOFIA BJÖRKMAN
The pieces in the series What has the bird done? are made by three-dimensional hand-drawings. The material is PLA (polylactic acid), an organic plastic material made of corn-starch. I melt the material with the pen, make the drawing, and then shortly after it gets hard again.
I told a friend that I find it difficult to make something that looks wild and he replied: I went out to look for horns, and when I came back I found everything in a mess. I wonder what the bird has done.
Afterwards, I made some jewelry pieces and showed them to a photographer. The photographer asked: What have you done? and I answered: I wonder what the bird has done. Can you tell me?
- Sofia Björkman ”What has the bird done”, brooch – polylactide, silver 925′
- Sofia Björkman ”What has the bird done”, brooch – silver 925′, polylactide
- Sofia Björkman, brooch – polycarbonat, steel
PAULA TREIMANE
Paula Treimane is an aspiring new jewellery artist and designer. Her work focuses on exploration of materials such as wood, silver and others, highliting their interplay and intrinsic values. Paula’s latest collection of work explores different materials and through testing their limits and transforming them seeks to form a novel combination of material, form and physical sensation. She specializes in wood carving and experimental wax casting. Other significant influences being; the wastness of nature, balance, repetition and a sense of touch and rhythm.
- Paula Treimane, brooch – silver, niello
- Paula Treimane, brooch – silver, paper clay, wood
- Paula Treimane, necklace – silver, bone, wood, rubber cord
KIRA YURINA
- Kira Yurina, earrings – acrylic mirror, wood, resin
- Kira Yurina, brooch – acryl, wood
- Kira Yurina, brooch – acryl, chloride vinyl, wood
LIISA HASHIMOTO
- Liisa Hashimoto ”Bench”, brooch – silver 925′
- Liisa Hashimoto, brooch – silver 925′
- Liisa Hashimoto, brooch – silver 925′, paint
MAIJA VĪTOLA
- Maija Vītola, necklace – silver 925′
- Maija Vītola, necklace – silver 925′, camel bone
- Maija Vītola, necklace – silver 925′, niello
MĀRIS ŠUSTIŅŠ
- Māris Šustiņš, necklace – silver 925′, mountain crystal, pearls
- Māris Šustiņš, necklace – silver 925′, onix, gilding
- Māris Šustiņš, necklace – silver 925′, rutile quartz, aquamarine, gilding
SIMEON SHOMOV
- Simeon Shomov ”Closer”, necklace – silver 925′, gold plated 24k
- Simeon Shomov ”Labyrinth”, brooch – silver 925′, 24k gold plated, 700 degrees glass enamel
- Simeon Shomov ”Labyrinth”, ring – ilver 925′, 24k gold plated, 700 degrees glass enamel
VALDIS BROŽE
- Valdis Brože, earrings – silver 925′, pearls, enamel
- Valdis Brože, necklace – mountain crystal silver 925′, pearls
- Valdis Brože, ring – mammoth bone, brilliant, onix, silver 925′, gilding
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