Karl Bollmann – författare

Since the 1960s, Elisabeth Defner has been one of Austria's most prominent jewellery artists. Nowadays her works are displayed in museums in e.g. Vienna, Graz, Pforzheim, Cologne, Prague and London. Defner sees jewellery not merely as an aesthetic matter, but also as a form of complementary healthcare for body, soul and spirit. The energy radiated from the metals and stones is in holistic harmony with the forms of the jewellery and can bring about an inner transformation of the wearer. Brooches, earrings, rings or pendants are combined with moulded plant leaves, so that the beauty of the jewellery can merge symbolically with the magical effect of the plant.Her understanding of art is reflected in a famous remark by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer: 'Truly art is firmly fixed in Nature. He who can extract her thence, he alone has her'.Text in English and German.

Animal liver, deer legs, sepia and cosmic dust are not usually amongst the preferred materials used by goldsmiths in the creation of pieces of jewellery. This is not the case for the Estonian group of artists õhuLoss, which means 'Castle in the Air'. Its seven members make use of many organic materials in the design of objects which are on the border between applied and visual arts. They create confusing pieces of jewellery which appear to hover in time and space and play with these concepts. The lyrical creations of the seven artists evoke a past era, but their choice of materials is shocking enough to bring the viewer back to the present. The undisputed strength of the work lies in its suggestive power, which puts the viewer under its spell. The new Estonian jewellery of the õhuLoss group probes itself, the world and life. It is a medium for communication without words, expressing the ambivalence of the modern attitude towards life. The young Estonian jewellery artists show that especially intelligent jewellery, close to nature, is very powerful. This jewellery reveals the human feelings of the wearer. The purpose of this jewellery, according to Kadri Mälk, lies in the quiet support of its wearers and in the discrete revelation of their identity. Artists featured include Villu Plink, Eve Margus-Villems, Kristiina Laurits, Piret Hirv, Katrin Sipelgas, Tanel Veenre and Kadri Mälk.Contents:Introduction by Kadri Mälk; sight/vaade; Castle in the Air | Rüdiger Joppien; The Touch of an Invisible Space | Saale Kareda; The Ultimate Castle in the Air | Karl Bollmann; Mart Raukas; The School and the Academy. Castle in the Air | Tamara Luuk; Homage to the Most Beloved | Lars Pahlman; jewellery/ethed; Kadri Mälk | Kristiina Laurits|Villu Plink | Eve Margus-Villems | Piret Hirv | Tanel Veenre | Karin Sipelgas; beyond/pilvevaatlus; lighthouse/tuletorn; post scriptum: chronology, bibliography, biographies.Text in English and Estonian.

Manfred Bischoff (1947–2015) was one of the most innovative jewellery artists of our time. He designed items of jewellery that tell stories and enriched his language of forms through references to contemporary art, quotations from art history and philosophy, and inspiration from his bountiful world of ideas. Through this, he developed his own particular way of mounting his jewellery pieces on drawings, on which messages and titles appear in his own characteristic hand. In this book, his work is showcased in its entirety for the very first time, including early works, which attracted little attention in previous publications. The publication is oriented on the sequence of places that each had a major influence on his works: first Berlin, followed by further locations in Italy. The book not only documents Manfred Bischoff’s multifaceted oeuvre with numerous illustrations and preliminary sketches; it also provides insights, via additional private photos and notes, into a remarkable artistic universe.Text in English and German.