International group exhibition
contemporary jewelry art

The association Plattform Schmuckkunst is organising an international group exhibition for the second third this year.

Under the title just in what now?, 18 selected works by national and international jewellery artists will be shown.

The opening will take place on Saturday, 02.09.2023 from 17 clock, in the premises of the association Plattform Schmuckkunst,

at the Mariahilferplatz 3, 8020 Graz, will take place.

On 03.09.2023 at 18.30 o'clock by Livestream by the exhibition led - www.instagram.com/plattform.schmuckkunst.

The exhibition can be visited from 02.09. - 30.09.2023 be visited on site.

VERNISSAGE 02.09.2023 / 17 o´clock (EST)

LIVE-STREAM 03.09.2023 / 18:30 (EST) / www.instagram.com/plattform.schmuckkunst

VENUE Mariahilferplatz 3 / 8020 Graz

© Photos - All rights are reserved by the respective owner.

"Aegis #9"

Aegis is defined as protection, support, sponsorship and auspices.

In Greek mythology, the aegis is associated with Zeus and Athena, and refers to an animal skin or breastplate that granted supernatural physical protection to its wearer.

Humans have always striven for stability and safety, particularly during times of turmoil.

We may not know the answer to „What can we do now?“, but one thing is undeniable: our primal need for safety and sanctuary.

We instinctively seek physical, emotional, economic and social protections to calm our insecurities and existential fears.

These protections have become our animal skin/armour, our modern-day aegis.

Amid the current political and socio-economic climate that is unnerving the world, our yearning for our own aegises is becoming exceedingly profound.

Aegis #9

bracelet

blued mild steel, sterling silver

The tree of all lives

Gender identity is one of the topics that most mark our era, their perception, condemnation or acceptance.

I wanted to insert in this „tree of all lives“ some fruits that allude to existing or imaginary sexual organs as a metaphor

for the sexual diversities that coexist in the same environment.

This brooch was created according to the criteria of my Infinite Homes research in which two principles are always present:

Stability and Change.

I make use of planimetric structures that give a sense of stability or certainty and that can have perimeter limits of

recognizable subjects - like a tree in this case - where I place elements that represent evolution or movement.

The tree of all lives

brooch

silver, bronze, colored patina

Time is up / Time is now

Measuring the time is something man-made.

Similar to our current social, political, economical, health, ecological or energy crisis.

„Time is up/ Time is now“ represents a dualistic take on that.

It reminds us both that we have already lost against time but nevertheless we need to take responsibility and action,

because the only time we have is now.

As an individual you become aware of the value of time when it is running against you,

counting the days since the start of a pandemic or war.

But also on a larger scale we measure the time of events like world overshoot day, equal pay day, fat cat day etc.

Everything suggests the powerlessness of mankind in the face of the uncontrollability of time, yet we are not powerless.

We just need to start using the time we have in a meaningful way.

Time is up / Time is now

necklace

polyamid, silver necklace

WE ARE ALL PRINCESSES.

In this totally manipulated world it is time to empower ourselves.

We all have the right to be princesses!!.

It is time to be what we want to be, without fear and without complexes, after all, we only belong to ourselves.

We are all princesses

brooch

inlayed and hand painted leather, aluminium, nacar beads and steel wire

PRIDE

Sometimes we think the battles we once won cannot be undone.

But this is not so sure, specially nowadays.

Fundamental rights are one of those battles worth being constantly defended given that

-hard to believe- some people still want to weaken or even destroy them.

So what now?

Now every possible way of activism to support our rights is necessary and jewelry is one of those ways, for sure.

This jewelry piece presents a piece of stone -part of an imaginary wall spray painted- as a jewel,

and not because of its material value but because of what it shows.

Words or symbols that represent those rights and those who fought and fight for them,

such as this sentence remembering the Stonewall uprising for freedom and equality, “Pride is a riot”.

And even though some people still try to erase and break those fights and symbols, we will stand up for them.

Because in these troubled times, every dose of empathy, respect and effort to build a better society is a jewel.

PRIDE

brooch

alabaster, ink, silver and steel

L‘AMOUREUX

L‘AMOUREUX (VI) is a necklace made as one of the 22 Major Arcana cards in Tarot decks.

It is a paraphrase of Raphael‘s painting of The Three Graces.

Trump, Putin and Death itself, as represented in the iconic movie of Ingmar Bergman, The Seventh Seal, being the three Graces.

Putin and Trump each hold a bomb.

Death holds a clockwork from Big Ben in London.

The Cupido is Greta Thunberg.

At the back of the card two arrows indicate two different directions.

Two pictures of the Earth show the possible scenarios our actions will take us to.

Depending in which direction we go it will result in a healthy peaceful globe or a destroyed one.

I made the pictures in Photoshop.

They are then printed on plastic cards in the size and shape of a regular paying card or common access card.

L‘AMOUREUX

necklace

plastic

Knock Knock

During my stay in Lisbon, I noticed hands that are often attached as door knockers.

I decided to mould one of these door knockers and make jewellery out of it.

The hand as a symbol for a counterpart. The wake-up call „Knock-Knock“, is anyone here?“,

which the brooch symbolises, is to be understood as an invitation.

Knocking at the doors of our own conscience and that of others to say, „Hey, we have to change something!“.

The brooch is placed in the heart area, a symbolic place of commitment, responsibility and empathy.

The brooch is meant to be a tool to „knock“ on the door of oneself or the „other“ in order to recognise and sound out the limits of

speaking, thinking, feeling and living and to work on these limits to develope future perspectives together indialogue,

to raise questions and to be that we are shaping the now“ together.

Knock Knock

brooch

brass, porcelain, stainless steel

500 years x 43 hours

The „500years x 43hours“ magnifying glass, transports us to contemporaneity and, at the same time, refers us to the past.

This tool was widely used in the era of printed maps and in reading books and newspapers when we didn‘t have cell phones

or the ability to enlarge small letters.

Nothing compared to the effectiveness of a magnifying glass to assist us in those situations.

However, this magnifying glass is different from conventional ones because it provides us with various reflections

on the time of nature and the human being; on the time that nature takes to develop and provide the survival of all beings

on this planet and the time that the human being takes to destroy it, among other questions that each of us can explore.

Made of aluminum and PET bottle, it carries within itself and in its title the information about the time required for the decomposition

of these materials (time average), as well as the timeinvested in its production.

Thus, this magnifying glass invites us to board on a journey of reflection, leading us to contemplate time and

the connection between the human being and nature.

This lost connection needs to be urgently restored.

500 years x 43 hours

necklace

aluminium, pet bottle

Put me in the bin

Kristina‘s conceptual and narrative-led artworks engage the viewer in playful perceptions of material preciousness.

‚Put me in the bin‘ is part of her collection Vision of Beauty, a narrative jewellery-mise- en-scène themed scour of the street.

The piece are imbued with realism and materiality.

The piece highlights a message on societal norms of littering single-use plastic and disregarded objects

found along the cracks of the concrete pavement.

Aiming to spark a conversation about what is considered precious material.

To accurately replicate the fold creases found on bottle caps, a custom press form tool was created.

The badges are then enamelled, resulting in unique forms that convey a sense of distress.

An original design based on brand logos was created using Illustrator, and applied to the badges using a laser decal.

The final step involves oxidation to achieve the desired finish.

Put me in the bin

brooch

Sterling silver, enamel, laser decal

Confused emotions

My work is devoted to how people perceive what is happening around them and the mixed emotions

they experience during times of crisis and wars.

When propaganda presses heavily from one side, and facts and reality speak otherwise.

When shame is mixed with sadness, and anger with fear.

And the balance shifts every minute.

Can we simultaneously find joy in our daily life and be horrified by what is happening around us?

Confused emotions

brooch

copper, porcelain, nickel lock

Plastone-9456172380

I want to tell you a story about a future stone.

A story about how we treat our planet and each other.

A story about human nature and history repeating itself.

This is the story of Plastone, a stone with plastic inclusions, that shows that every action will have a reaction.

In this futuristic world, where crude oil reserves are depleted, and plastic has become a prized commodity,

the discovery of a stone with plastic inclusions has given rise to a monopolised industry owned by the Böhm Cooperation.

They also own the Plastone Identification Institute (PII) which assesses each Plastone‘s quality using the 4 Ps:

Power, Purity, Pigment, and Prisma.

Each Plastone is assigned a unique PII number, with an evaluation certificate, accessible through a QR code engraved on every stone.

Plastone-9456172380

brooch

Plastone (stone with plastic inclusions), plastic, steel

Peas

Everything grows or everything dies.

There is no standstill.

Regardless of whether you consider a person, society, mankind or the universe.

Natural urge to grow and to change is universal and the desirable Ideal of union between human

and the natural world marked by our environmental impact.

In my work the world is a changing form that evolves in mutations.

Artificially grown minerals on a piece of driftwood.

What comes next?

Lab grown meat is nothing new.

A tree, just like a human, is a symbol of growth and change.

To survive we need the feeling of connection and security.

Peas

brooch

driftwood, self grown alaun crystals, green ink, lacquer, 1 gram gold 585, steel needle

1,2 x 90, Jewellery and sustainability

The brooch is made of adrenaline needles that were produced in Czechoslovakia or Germany in the past.

The reason for the production of these needles was to save life.

Nowadays they are no longer used in health care and have become a „waste material“.

Their excessive quantity and the current impossibility of use in healthcare, have become an impulse for author to make a jewellry

from this endless and at the same time health-safe material.

1,2x90, Jewellery and sustainability

brooch

stainless steel, brass, gold 14k

Inner – Outer II

As Aristoteles states, only a beast or a god can be delighted to live in solitude.

Sacred Spaces is a series of sculpture – jewelry that was galvanized during the COVID-19 quarantine, through isolation and introspection.

However, the pieces that evolved beyond this period delve on many current social issues, segregation, vanity, doubt, to name a few.

Inner – Outer II, originally inspired by the architectural forms of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon along with its voyeuristic notions

is heightened by the interpretation of Michel Foucault.

Stairways, a symbol of personal aspiration and growth, remain contained and unreachable.

Supportive arches lead to narrow passages or closed openings.

A labyrinth of spaces, enlightenment, or confusion.

The role of the voyeur is reversed by the wearers handling of the piece, viewer or self-portrait.

Inner – Outer II

ring

silver 925

Searching nature link

A jewel, a necklace, whose silver pendant is traversed by cactus wood that imitates the Japanese technique; yakisugi, has two sides,

on one side the wood looks whole and on the other it appears divided.

That is the feeling I have of the present moment, the division generated by the different points of view with the people around us,

with close ties, seem to cover up a deep desire to be united to something, we lose ourselves believing that this union is in a thought

and we become rigid in that place, and thoughts like most things at this moment are fleeting, and pass at the speed of an Instagram post.

Perhaps the way for that union is first to observe and incorporate the cycles of nature as one‘s own; remember that we are that; nature.

Searching nature link

necklace

sterling silver, cactus wood, copper wire, cotton cord

Existence IV

I am interested in the concept of value.

We live in a changing world where people’s lifestyles and even the concept of value are constantly changing.

People give value to things themselves.

In other words, a thing is worth only as much as a person considers it to be worth.

However, in times of unrest, war, etc., materially valuable items are often exchanged for vital items or just food.

At that point, survival becomes paramount.

That becomes the cost of our existence.

For this topic, „what now?“, I present earrings from the „Existence“ collection.

I use two materials: used cans and pearls.

These materials are like the opposite of each other, but they also enhance each other even more and provoking the viewer.

Existence IV

earrings

silver, cans, freshwater pearls, cable

Marigold Center

My focus and research in kiln formed glass revolves around the language of the medium itself, how it behaves,

its characteristics, and its properties.

I believe emphasizing these rhythms, patterns, and formations possess the capacity to act as proxy for things beyond itself and

its seemingly simple physical existence.

Marigold Center is a pendant that functions as a placeholder for the individual brightness, light, and potential we each possess.

As we navigate through these contentious and challenging circumstances, our mind, efforts and energy are pulled

in a myriad of directions, yet our most honest and impactful answers, resolutions, and decisions usually resonate from our center.

Marigold Center

pendant

glass

Airborne N° 2

Synthetic fibers dislodged from clothing are spiraling around the world.

Research shows that we inhale these microplastics, and that they have been observed in the deepest parts of our lungs.

This raises questions about the impact on our health.

Our lungs are vital! Breathing is a constant and basic necessity of life.

We breathe air everywhere and at all times.

However, this air is increasingly contaminated with pollutants and microplastics.

Since 70% of all clothes are made from plastic materials, yarn shed synthetic fibers that end up in the air we breathe.

How will our lungs respond to constant inhaling of airborne plastic pollution?

The collection Airborne is about becoming aware of the spiraling plastic pollution,

as a result of our addiction to cheap clothes and fast fashion.

Airborne N° 2

brooch

sterling silver, steel, Tyvek, fabric hardener, handspun yarn from plastic bags