Ellen Maurer Zilioli – författare

Open Space - Mind Maps pursues the current development in art jewellery that is positioned far from the merely decorative in the aesthetic and artistic discourse of our era. Thirty international artists present their works in this publication, which is arranged thematically by the buzzwords inhabiting current trends, such as the nomadic aspect and the tendency towards narrative imagery to provocation that infringes on boundaries and to the poetic imagination in jewellery. All these facets as open-ended chapters illustrate the iconographic focus of each of these protagonists from across the world. Contents:Berndt Arell: Foreword; Ellen Maurer Zilioli: Open Space - Mind Maps. Positions in contemporary jewellery; Inger Wästberg: The Swedish Perspective; Philip Warkander: Art Jewellery. A reflection on terminology; Catalogue; Appendix; Artists' biographies; Authors' biographies

The uniqueness of Silke Trekel (*1969) lies in the melding of artisan skills and awareness with a particular sensibility for the character and texture of the inherent quality of her materials. Whether industrial or organic, they play a crucial role in her designs. The many travels of the Halle-educated artist broadened her perspectives, validating them in a concept of jewellery fed by universal symbolic metaphors of form. The publication gives a first in-depth account of her development, of this dialogue between abstraction and ornamental tradition. In fact Trekel invites us to rethink, for her work unites motifs and guiding concepts, which galvanised 20th century art - between sculptural spatial configurations and signs held in suspension. Trekel takes an active part in this story.Text in English and German.Published to accompany exhibitions at Bayerischer Kunstgewerbeverein, Munich, from 5 March-17 April 2021, at Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau from 12 September-10 November 2021, and Galerie Viceversa, Lausanne from February 12–March 12, 2022.

Contemporary gold- and silversmithing encompasses a vast range. Increasingly, a daring, (self-)critical, and inventive scene is edging its way to the fore, focusing on challenging the innovative expansion of classical forms and motifs of jewellery, vessels, and hollowware. Purpose, function, and our normative understanding of beauty are placed on a new footing through experiments with materials and performative stagings. Socially relevant considerations and artistic references inform the objects’ designs and are an invitation to an entertaining yet recondite “tour de plasir” featuring some 150 works by 28 artists - proof once more of gold- and silversmithing’s controversial creative potential today.Text in English and German.The artists:Tobias Alm, Sawa Aso, Astrid Becksteiner- Rasche, Naama Bergman, Tobias Birgersson, Beatrice Brovia / Nicolas Cheng, David Clarke, Kanako Ebisawa, Ute Eitzenhöfer, Åsa Elmstam, Anne Fischer, Karolina Hägg, Nils Hint, Kateřina Jirsová, Junwon Jung, Anders Ljungberg, Kateřina Michálková, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Eija Mustonen, Markus Pollinger, Karen Pontoppidan, Anna Rikkinen, Hans Stofer, Vivi Touloumidi, Tarja Tuupanen, Luzia Vogt, Stella Wanisch, Jing Yang

From Jewellery to Contextual Art presents the work of the artist and professor Elisabeth Holder and showcases her unique evolution. Coming from a classical goldsmithing background, she placed jewellery in relation to ancient signs and the ornamentation that emerged from them, pursuing the examination of materials in the charged arena between mastery and dialogue, and posing the fundamental question of what jewellery is and can be. This led to a paradigm shift. Jewellery was recontextualised. Illustrated with examples from fields such as architecture and nature, it becomes clear that such jewellery forms are never excessive and are at once Contextual art.Text in English and German.

Ulla and Martin Kaufmann have developed their aesthetic agenda together. The techniques used by gold and silversmiths are the focal point of their work and represent the basic thematic focus of their tableware, jewellery and cutlery. It rests on their exploratory approach to materials and the diverse possibilities it provides for expression. Ulla and Martin Kaufmann have been working in their own studio in Hildesheim for nearly forty years.The two artists have thus acquired unique skills over years of experience especially the knowledge of the properties of silver and gold, their materials of choice. This profound knowledge is an essential part of the indissoluble union of design and execution. The connotations are always dual: the form of objects stems from practical considerations; is, therefore, close to ideas of functional design. At the same time, individual expression born of the artists' mastery of their craft and their exacting aesthetic standards surrounds these pieces with the aura of works of art. This book reveals the secrets and beauty of the stunning pieces made by Ulla and Martin Kaufmann. In showcasing these objects, it establishes their aesthetic permanence as timelessly practical works. Text in English & German.