MUSEUM WORTHY
Gallery Loupe—Heinz Schütz writes, “Peter Bauhuis’s playful, ironic take on semantics is evident when he speaks of Chains and Flowers, Chained and Unchained. ‘Chains’ can be interpreted to mean fetters or jewelry. When chains and flowers are mentioned in the same breath, the semantic pendulum swings toward fetters for the latter, while the former conjures notions of peace and freedom. The antithetical word pair ‘chained and unchained’ also suggests moments of bondage and freedom. The title Chains and Flowers, Chained and Unchained alludes to a transformational process by which a necklace is born of a plant-like gold structure. To make jewelry of chained oval links, Bauhuis crafted molds whose individual parts resemble orbital trajectories that, taken as a whole, suggest trees and flowers. The ‘unchaining’ liberates this chain from its existence as a cast orbital plant, transforming it into a necklace. Even so, the chained state is by no means preferable to the unchained condition. As long as the intricate chain forms an orbital sculpture that has the potential of becoming a necklace, it is both a tree and, conceptually, a chain.”
RETAIL: Price upon request
CONTACT: Eileen David
Galerie Rob Koudijs—Bruce Metcalf has made exciting new work of which the brooch Harvest is a good example. Amidst all the more or less abstract sculptural parts which make up the piece, Metcalf reintroduces realistic elements—which were omnipresent in his jewelry many years ago—giving this work a completely new and highly intriguing narrative quality.
RETAIL: US$5,000
CONTACT: Rob Koudijs
Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery—This locket was inspired by Nancy Bonnema and Cynthia Toops’s visit to the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, where they witnessed the conservation and preservation of Viking ships. The locket features part of a pre-Iron Age finished plank from Denmark that pre-dates the Vikings, which was given to the artists by a Danish archaeologist. This locket is featured in the 2017 issue of Signs of Life.
RETAIL: US$3,440
CONTACT: Madeline Courtney
Galerie Biro—Says Olga Zobel Biro, “I like it so much, it is really a Karl Fritsch work!”
RETAIL: €3,100
CONTACT: Olga Zobel Biro
Patina Gallery—The late Carrie Adell brought her majestic talents—passion and purpose—together in this neckpiece entitled Sediments: No Deposit, No Return. The creative sparks for this signature work were the violent Pacific surf, pine ridges, and rocky points of Point Lobos Reserve near Big Sur. In the beach pebbles and face of the cliffs, Adell saw the enormity of geological time, an experienced that aroused concerns for the environment, a cause that had long moved her as an artist. Adell envisioned a copper collar that mimicked seams in the sediment, complete with diamonds sprinkled like pebbles at the base of the cliffs. She, in effect, compressed the epic story of earth science into an epic 229-by-229-mm blending of metals.
RETAIL: US$12,000
CONTACT: Linda Childers
galerie beyond— This new ring marks the exploration of deeper decadence by Nora Rochel. With its abundance of details and more aggressive scale, it represents a fresh chapter in Rochel’s explorations. The botanical language devolves as the pieces become more complex and ornate, ultimately verging on abstraction.
RETAIL: €1,800
CONTACT: René Darmont
ESTABLISHED ARTIST
Gallery S O—This piece by Andi Gut was developed as part of the Mimesen (Mimesis) series. Like in the animal world, where camouflage is effective through its deception of the enemy, Gut’s pieces initially confuse viewers and deceive those trying to read them. They are thus reminiscent of a modern microphone worn directly attached to one’s collar, a roll of thin cable, or an anti-theft device attached to one’s jacket pocket. The brooch is made of a synthetic material, nylon, carved and dyed to take on the appearance of an organic form, which could be the flotsam of the beach or an enlarged microorganism. The combination of nylon and gold gives it a futuristic appearance, almost like alien fibers which are intended to peep from the reverse of a jacket, making it the perfect complement for a classic suit. The Mimesen are a clever seduction of one’s gaze into the wide world of associations and, once again, Gut has cleverly expanded the current definition of jewelry.
RETAIL: Price upon request
CONTACT: Felix Flury
Yun Gee Park Studio & Gallery—Hwa Jin Kim’s work starts from lines overlapping and repeating as the artist’s hands move to meet each other. This process of line to form creates elegant objects that are at once organic and architectural. Further adding to this duality is the material that she employs to create her forms. The wax she uses is stable at room temperature, yet reacts to the warmth of her hands. This process of hand building stresses the connection between the artist and materials and allows her to create objects that maintain a general geometric pattern while also expressing handmade warmth. Kim completed BFA and MFA studies in South Korea, then continued formal studies for two more years in Germany. She is currently being exhibited in Asia, Europe, and North America.
RETAIL: US$3,500
CONTACT: Scott Duerstock
ohmyblue— Manfred Bischoff was an auroral creature. His world, made of many things, has to be found in secrets.
RETAIL: Price upon request
CONTACT: Elena Rizzi
Gallery Funaki—Peter Hoogeboom is a noted Dutch artist known for his use of ceramics. In Green Soil, he returns to his roots in the Netherlands and the low-lying manmade lands of clay reclaimed from the sea, lakes, and estuaries. This piece is about those who work the land and rely on it, made from the soil they stand in and grow their crops on. Beautifully crafted and with a perfect balance on the body, Green Soil is a profoundly accomplished work.
RETAIL: AUS$4,160
> CONTACT: Katie Scott
De Novo Fine Contemporary Jewelry—Elisa Bongfeldt’s textural bracelet plays beautifully with movement and light. As it drapes gently on the wrist, each of the small elements, which are all individually connected, moves and catches the light at different angles.
RETAIL: US$1,600
CONTACT: Cherry LeBrun
Oona Galerie—Once again, Svenja John has created a convincing composition of red color ranges. The brooch seems like a little sea creature, somewhere between blossom and animal. It unites poetry with precise technical know-how.
RETAIL: Price upon request
CONTACT: Anna Schetelich
The Gallery at Reinstein Ross—A beautiful piece by Caroline Gore, made from chap leather with continuous strands of hematite beads encased in nylon mesh. The tapered form created by the leather has been secured with handmade oxidized sterling-silver staples. A substantial neckpiece, its form carries the emotional weight of armor by both protecting and transferring power to the wearer.
RETAIL: US$3,520
CONTACT: Bella Neyman
Baltimore Jewelry Center—From Demitra Thomloudis’s artist statement: “Over the Fence consists of more than 90 small brooches inspired by the view across the US/Mexico border into a neighborhood of Juarez, Mexico, called Anapra. This work embodies the visual and tactile experience with structures imbedded in the land. As an installation, its layers and forms overwhelm and command the land. As wearables, these intimate objects coexist and build from the body as a means to connect with the landscape from afar.”
RETAIL: Each US$125
CONTACT: Shane Prada
MID-CAREER ARTIST
Tinsel Gallery—This pin is based on the lover’s eye brooches and mourning jewelry of the Georgian period, which is one of Geraldine Fenn’s ongoing sources of inspiration. It’s a contemporary take on an antique form, and its implied narrative makes it an engaging piece of jewelry.
RETAIL: US$700
CONTACT: Geraldine Fenn
PLATINA Stockholm—The pendant Triangular belongs to Adam Grinovich’s series Settings, which attempts to express jewelry through its most basic and iconic forms. The white faceted stones, objects of desire, are the central element. These stones are arranged into complex objects using techniques both traditional and state of the art. Grinovich was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. After receiving a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, he moved to Stockholm, Sweden, to study at Konstfack University, from which he received an MFA in 2008. In 2014, he went to Lappeenranta, in Finland, for a LARES Laser Art Residency, where he started working with the techniques that led him to this series. Triangular has been selected for several exhibitions, such as Special Show Schmuck 2017 Munich and the 7th Tallinn Applied Art Triennial 2017.
RETAIL: US$1,950
CONTACT: Sofia Björkman
EMERGING ARTIST
In the Gallery at Brooklyn Metal Works—Virginia Jakim, born and raised in Buenos Aires and currently based in Berlin, explores the humorous side of jewelry in her work. Statement Necklace investigates the absurd as it relates to ideas of luxury, adornment, and self-positioning through jewelry, and also uses traditional means from the discipline to give a new perspective. Having graduated in fashion design from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Jakim draws from both the design and art world for her work, appealing to a generally colorful, cartoon-like, pop aesthetic while trying to find the perfect harmony between materials, shapes, and concept. Jakim’s work has been selected for exhibition as part of Icons at Play, curated by Manuela Jimenez and Kendra Pariseault. This show reinterprets cultural symbols and icons through the use of material, scale, wearability, and interaction. These pieces challenge and “play” with the viewer’s understanding of what symbols have come to represent in our everyday lives. Interpreted from a different viewpoint and providing the viewer/wearer a new lens to experience emblems, these works challenge our preconditioned definition of what an icon can represent. Icons at Play is on view at Brooklyn Metal Works October 7 through November 30, 2017.
RETAIL: €1,200
CONTACT: Brian Weissman
L.A. Pai Gallery—As part of the 14th National Jewellery Student Competition, these one-of-a-kind earrings by Eunseon Park showcase the immense talent and creativity of the young artist.
>RETAIL: $1,000
CONTACT: Lisa Pai
Koumei Art Gallery—In Indonesia, agate jewelry commonly has a masculine design and is usually set on rings. This piece’s designer, Emily Zhu, wanted to change the image on the gemstone to be more feminine. A magnolia bud was chosen as the inspiration of the design because it is a symbol to welcome the spring season in Asian culture. To enrich the design, the artisan, Totok Gievohn, chose 18-karat yellow gold as the medium for the branch, to highlight the agate and give the design elegance and a flare of luxury. Giving different colors to the branch and the flower is intended to give a lifelike detail to the piece. The diamonds are used to illustrate the beginning of the spring season as the designer intended.
RETAIL: Price upon request
CONTACT: Eko Sukoco
Baltimore Jewelry Center—Rose Schlemmer is an emerging artist whose current work addresses the body and the interaction between the body and worn objects. The Shirt I Wear Everywhere is one of several pieces that explore memory recall and emotion through the sensation of silicone on the body. A retired shirt owned and loved by the artist was paired with a silicone print of McCullough Gulch in Colorado, the location where the artist last wore the shirt. By utilizing clothing and in particular a work shirt, Schlemmer allows the viewer to experience an intimate connection to her process and viewpoint.
RETAIL: US$760
CONTACT: Shane Prada
GALLERY CHOICE
Hedone Gallery— The German-born and London-based artist-jeweler Ute Decker is a leading proponent of the ethical jewelry movement and one of the first jewelers in the world to champion fair-trade gold. For her unique, limited-edition creations, she selects only the finest sustainable materials, either 100% recycled silver or fair-trade gold sourced from the small Sotrami artisanal mining cooperative in the highlands of Peru. Her pieces are described as geometric poetry, suggestive of an architectural language playing with volume, space, and movement until the clean geometric lines and the dynamic curvatures are distilled into an evocative, serene construction. Her work has been exhibited internationally in more than 50 exhibitions from Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, and New York to Design Basel, and it is in several notable collections, including the Helen Drutt collection.
RETAIL: US$4,900
CONTACT: Bonnie Levine
Four—Estonian artist Tanel Veenre investigates the shape of the cross. Power, religion, and male dominance has had a crucial impact on the Christian religion. As a jewelry artist, Veenre analyzes the subject through body-related objects that play with sacred themes and eroticism. Veenre is one of the brightest stars in the jewelry universe. He combines poetic aesthetics with courageous and bold themes, creating magical, magnetic pieces that attract and captivate and also challenge you as the viewer and wearer.
RETAIL: €1,700
CONTACT: Karin Roy Andersson
Lillstreet Gallery—Maia Leppo graduated from Tufts University in 2008 with a degree in biology and community health. She received training in jewelry and metals from various craft schools, including Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Pocosin Arts, Penland School of Crafts, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. She received her MFA from SUNY New Paltz. She has participated in artist residencies at Arrowmont and Pocosin and is currently a resident artist at the Brewhouse Association, on the south side of Pittsburgh. She states: “My process is dictated by the limits that I place on myself: the source of inspiration, my process of design and creating, my use of materials, colors, and mechanisms. My work is also drawn from the need to create volume out of flatness. By using almost exclusively steel sheet, I aim to manipulate the material to have a dimension it did not previously have. The forms are inspired by botanical elements, abstracted and simplified to their most basic shape. I design much of my work on a 3-D rendering computer program called Rhinoceros, and then I either send my work to be laser-cut, or I cut it myself. I use silicone cord, steel tubing, and wire to create the finished piece of work. I restrict my color choices to black, white, and the terracotta color of the industrial silicone. I am interested in scale, volume, movement, and repetition, and how the computer can help me explore these ideas. The resulting work is an exploration of the intersection between the botanical and the industrial (this piece, in particular, is inspired by the trumpet flower, but altered in scale and abstracted on Rhino to also resemble a propeller). Having the work be wearable is a primary goal, but I also want to push that idea and play on the balance between overwhelming and attracting the viewer. I do not want the wearer to look at the jewelry and immediately see a specific plant or flower, but to get the feeling that one gets when seeing or being surrounded by botanicals.”
RETAIL: US$1,300
CONTACT: Nora McCarthy
Galerie LA Joaillerie par Mazlo—Fabrizio Tridenti takes inspiration from the trash produced by contemporary society and mostly uses industrial waste material, recycled items, and industrial paint. He thus investigates the paradoxical beauty of chaos, aiming to re-create architectural shapes and structures and to capture the energy of randomness. Tridenti studied metals and jewelry design at Istituto Statale d’Arte, Penne. After graduating in 1982, he spent a few years as an apprentice in a couple of renowned workshops before establishing his studio, in 1993, in Pescara. Today he lives and works in Vasto. His works have been exhibited in many galleries and museums internationally, such as MAD Museum in New York; the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich; the Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, in Florence; the Amber Museum in Gdañsk; and the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon. This untitled brooch is currently on show at Galerie LA Joaillerie par Mazlo as part of the Holy Tools! group show.
RETAIL: Price upon request
CONTACT: Céline Robin
