A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry Showcases on view at the Museum of Arts and Design from March 15 through September 4, 2011, explores the manifold appeal of ceramics, especially porcelain, in jewelry. Organized by the Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud and curated by the renowned German-born goldsmith and jewelry artist Monika Brugger, the exhibition showcases the versatility and allure of the medium, which can be modeled or cast, used alone or with metal, wood, and stone, and vary in color and texture. Best known as the stuff of the luxurious and the mundane, of fine tableware and technical equipment, when used in jewelry, porcelain sparks the visual and physical sensations to become an object of desire.
Visitors will be captivated by the scope and ingenuity of the more than one hundred works on view. While some make reference to traditional jewelry in materials and symbolism, others altogether redefine it in substance, form, and matter. The work of 18 cutting-edge jewelry artists will be featured, including creations by such notables as Peter Hoogeboom, Evert Nijland, Ted Noten (The Netherlands), Gesine Hackenberg (Germany), Marie Pendaries (Spain), and Shu-Lin Wu (Taiwan).
“Even though the Egyptians produced seal rings in faience, and the Greeks and Romans gilded terracotta to imitate gold, the use of ceramics in the fabrication of jewelry was abandoned centuries ago,” says curator Monika Brugger. “Today many artists, like those assembled in this show, are popularizing porcelain as a compelling material for jewelry.”
“Ceramic jewelry embodies the creative transformation of a humble Earth material by art and industry into a wearable object of great refinement and sensuality,” notes MAD’s Jewelry Curator Ursula Ilse-Neuman. “Exploring new currents in art jewelry is a vital part of the Museum’s mission,” she continues. “We are delighted to present these visually and intellectually engaging works to a New York audience.”
