The
12 emerging artists from 5 different countries
selected for Coming into View strategically use jewelry as a vehicle to examine
ideas inherent to the function of adornment. The artists investigate the social, political,
cultural and psychological aspects of adornment and how it functions through
varied formats and materials. The works of the artists
selected are not meant to exemplify all that is new in jewelry, rather they
represent fresh perspectives in contemporary jewelry today, the humorous and
quirky the
absolutely unconventional and provocative.
In an age where information and communication is
instantaneous and available to everyone, cultural and political boundaries have
blurred. Historical periods have flattened and cultural identities have
blended. The
artists are free to draw from all disciplines, time periods, and
technologies for inspiration. A consequence of this is the language of jewelry
has greatly expanded, resulting in works that reside in this space between life
and art and between what we experience with our senses and what we understand
in our mind. It is in these
in-between spaces where new questions arise about the role of jewelry and
adornment and its function, opening new avenues of critical theory and
debate.
This mixing and appropriation of ideas and conventions from
diverse fields is evident in all of the works selected for Coming into View.
Technology and design combine to create a new decorative body surface. Unlikely
intersections occur with reference to historical jewelry forms juxtaposed with
unlikely forms that may examine ideas about luxury and ornamentation. Ready-made mass produced commercial
rings and cutlery, inherited from oneÕs family, are bisected and recombined
creating fresh hybrid forms. The geography of jewelry reflects the worldÕs
geography and its politics. Expanding beyond jewelryÕs historical boundaries,
materials such as fur, latex, lead and plastic
are chosen for their inherent symbolic qualities.
This decentering of style and taste is the
essence of jewelry today.
These hybrid objects convey a sense of optimism
yet are at risk of being misunderstood even refused given their often-quirky
manner. Ironically the works are commenting
and acting as witnesses to our everyday, testifying
to the everyday including our awkwardness. The jewelry in Coming into View can confront, provoke,
entice, disturb, seduce and challenge our perceptions and preconceived notions
of what jewelry should be. We hope
it offers an expanded realm of what jewelry can be.
Residence of Yann Woolley
Chicago, IL
917-664-5695
Gallery Night Tour in
conjunction with 2006 SNAG conference.
May 26, Friday, 5:00-9:30PM
May27, Saturday 12-3 PM
328 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
302-227-9203
June 10 - July 5, 2006
Opening Reception June
10th 6-9 PM
Jordan
Schnitzer Museum of Art
1223 University
of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1223
phone: (541)
346-3027
Opening Reception January
24th
Ra•ssa Bump USA
Ukiko Honda USA
Yevgeniya Kaganovich USA
Lauren Kalman USA
Anya Kivarkis USA
Peter Krause and Kathleen
Taplick Germany
Marta Lwin USA
Shari Pierce Germany
Constanze Schreiber the Netherlands
Kunihiro Shibuya Japan
Monika Strasser Switzerland
Amelia Toelke USA