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The Sixth European Triennial for Contemporary Jewellery

Contemporary Jewellery
Mix Match
Jan 6, 2018

Organised by the WCC•BF, Françoise Vanderauwera for Belgium, Brune Boyer for France and Sofia Björkman for Sweden are the three curators for this sixth edition of the European Triennial for Contemporary Jewellery. Discover their highlighted pieces on show until 4 February at Les Anciens Abattoirs in Mons.

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Text by Ornella La Vaccara

The current hybridisation of disciplines typical of contemporary global creation has influenced jewellery just like any other field. For several years, the fundamental gap between accessories and objets d’art has progressively narrowed. Cross-disciplinary—and almost undisciplined—artists are boldly entering the field of contemporary jewellery. Going beyond its materiality, contemporary jewellery is a practice that questions the current era. Contemporary jewellery is a kind of performance. Mediating between the self and the other, it works in concert with different media, crossing aesthetic, technical and discursive barriers to propose a reflection on our existence through our bodies, which are indispensable links in the chain. For the sixth edition of the European Triennial for Contemporary Jewellery, organised by the WCC•BF, Françoise Vanderauwera, curator for Belgium, has opted for a dynamic selection of artists who are upending conventions. Brune Boyer for France and Sofia Björkman for Sweden are presenting varied, innovative pieces that mirror the creative process and the questions of our time.

LIESBET BUSSCHE Casually Dropped Pearl Necklaces, 2016 Papier 160 gr, impression laser, découpages à la main / 160-gsm paper, laser print, paper cut-outs by hand © Liesbet Bussche The pearls on the necklace of Belgian artist Liesbet Bussche owe their delicate existence only to the backdrop upon which they lie. The work is a poetic conception of a presence made possible by absence.
LIESBET BUSSCHE Casually Dropped Pearl Necklaces, 2016 Papier 160 gr, impression laser, découpages à la main / 160-gsm paper, laser print, paper cut-outs by hand © Liesbet Bussche The pearls on the necklace of Belgian artist Liesbet Bussche owe their delicate existence only to the backdrop upon which they lie. The work is a poetic conception of a presence made possible by absence.
ISABELLE CARPENTIER Ex-voto 5, 2017, Hip necklace, Corian, pâte de verre, skai, heat-shrinkable sleeve © ICatelier A mosaicist by training, Belgian artist Isabelle Carpentier uses this technique to make her ex-votos, mysterious and mystical objects that invite the viewer to see this kind of offering, anchored in the collective unconscious, in a new way.
ISABELLE CARPENTIER Ex-voto 5, 2017, Hip necklace, Corian, pâte de verre, skai, heat-shrinkable sleeve © ICatelier A mosaicist by training, Belgian artist Isabelle Carpentier uses this technique to make her ex-votos, mysterious and mystical objects that invite the viewer to see this kind of offering, anchored in the collective unconscious, in a new way.
PATRICK MARCHAL Sugar stay or sugar go?, 2017, Sugar, copper, cotton. Drilling, riveting, yarning © Patrick Marchal Belgian creator Patrick Marchal faces consumerist culture head-on. His powerful and exuberant works here give way to the discourse both sweet and bitter of his sugar jewellery. It is also on exhibit in parallel at the Centre d'Innovation et de Design au Grand-Hornu in Mons.
PATRICK MARCHAL Sugar stay or sugar go?, 2017, Sugar, copper, cotton. Drilling, riveting, yarning © Patrick Marchal Belgian creator Patrick Marchal faces consumerist culture head-on. His powerful and exuberant works here give way to the discourse both sweet and bitter of his sugar jewellery. It is also on exhibit in parallel at the Centre d'Innovation et de Design au Grand-Hornu in Mons.
EVE WOLFS A grave for today, 2015, Welded steel frame, sand- and laser-cut oak © Eve Wolfs Belgian designer Eve Wolfs creates her models as witnesses of current movements, behaviours, mores and lifestyles. With A grave for today, the sculptural dimension of contemporary jewellery reaches its apex.
EVE WOLFS A grave for today, 2015, Welded steel frame, sand- and laser-cut oak © Eve Wolfs Belgian designer Eve Wolfs creates her models as witnesses of current movements, behaviours, mores and lifestyles. With A grave for today, the sculptural dimension of contemporary jewellery reaches its apex.
CELINE SYLVESTRE Silhouette, 2015, Brooch. Iron, silk yarn © Matthieu Gauchet The Silhouettes brooches by French artist Céline Sylvestre evoke the questions of the weight of memory and its representation in an aesthetic quest for balance between present and past, absence and presence.
CELINE SYLVESTRE Silhouette, 2015, Brooch. Iron, silk yarn © Matthieu Gauchet The Silhouettes brooches by French artist Céline Sylvestre evoke the questions of the weight of memory and its representation in an aesthetic quest for balance between present and past, absence and presence.
MARINE DOMINICZAK Medusa, 2015 Hand mirror, casting, brass © Marine Dominiczak With her mirror with a tentacled handle, French artist Marine Dominiczak questions the cult of beauty and the excessive practice of aesthetic surgery in South Korean society.
MARINE DOMINICZAK Medusa, 2015 Hand mirror, casting, brass © Marine Dominiczak With her mirror with a tentacled handle, French artist Marine Dominiczak questions the cult of beauty and the excessive practice of aesthetic surgery in South Korean society.
LINNEA ERIKSSON Connect, 2016 Steel, silver, spray paint. Silversmith techniques and spray painting Photo: Linnéa Eriksson Linnéa Eriksson, a Swedish artist, finds her inspiration in an urban environment and the geometric shapes of the city. She combines artisanal jewellery techniques and modern street expression, all expressed through the bright colours of spray paint.
LINNEA ERIKSSON Connect, 2016 Steel, silver, spray paint. Silversmith techniques and spray painting Photo: Linnéa Eriksson Linnéa Eriksson, a Swedish artist, finds her inspiration in an urban environment and the geometric shapes of the city. She combines artisanal jewellery techniques and modern street expression, all expressed through the bright colours of spray paint.
HELENA JOHANSSON LINDELL Synthetic fruits, 2016 Plastic, wood, brass, aluminium, polyester. Assemblage © Helena Johansson Lindell Swedish artist Helena Johansson Lindell challenges hierarchies by showcasing materials and techniques to which society gives little regard. A touch of kitsch makes her jewellery into tools to use against the established order.
HELENA JOHANSSON LINDELL Synthetic fruits, 2016 Plastic, wood, brass, aluminium, polyester. Assemblage © Helena Johansson Lindell Swedish artist Helena Johansson Lindell challenges hierarchies by showcasing materials and techniques to which society gives little regard. A touch of kitsch makes her jewellery into tools to use against the established order.
JELIZAVETA SUSKA Frozen Moment: Night Sky, 2017 Brooch. Polymer, 14K gold, magma sand, titanium, crushed marble. Mixed techniques, goldsmithing Photo: Jelizaveta Suska Pieces by Swedish artist Jelizaveta Suska give the illusion of a frozen moment of nostalgia, of a paused image. In her work, abstract ideas find a material form in polymer and crushed marble.
JELIZAVETA SUSKA Frozen Moment: Night Sky, 2017 Brooch. Polymer, 14K gold, magma sand, titanium, crushed marble. Mixed techniques, goldsmithing Photo: Jelizaveta Suska Pieces by Swedish artist Jelizaveta Suska give the illusion of a frozen moment of nostalgia, of a paused image. In her work, abstract ideas find a material form in polymer and crushed marble.
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