From portrait to public profile, from solitaire to share, the current walls and windows for our presentations are virtual. Within our contemporary Western society, with a strong emphasis on visual culture, online and digital media are frequently used formats for (self-)presentation. Today’s shop and show windows, through which we are constantly scrolling and sharing, are our laptops, tablets and smartphones, among other digital displays. These screens act as filters, rapidly changing and influencing our presentation, perception and production.
Within contemporary art jewellery practice the use of digital media is increasing as well. How do contemporary jewellery artists implement screens within their artistic practices? And how do digital media affect the ways in which we create, present and perceive contemporary art jewellery?
icO_On shows six contemporary jewellery artists’ digital (self-)presentations and creations:
Maiko Gubler’s 3D rendered and printed Gradient Bangles explore the relationships between virtual models, physical objects and the human body.
Göran Kling’s Instagram account is filled with images made by himself as well as by his fans/wearers, and serves as a catalogue showing his ‘jewellery as a meme’.
Vann Kwok’s surreal jewellery pieces play both roles of prop and protagonist in her (out of) Flux film and photos.
Edgar Mosa’s jewellery collections are shown online as finished pieces worn in portraits, while his short videos give us an insight into his creation process.
Mah Rana’s public participatory project Meanings and Attachments takes place in real and virtual communities as the participants’ stories are shared online through photos, films and written text.
Lisa Walker’s selfies, snapshots of the artist wearing her Unwearable pieces, are published online and in print.
Via browsing, scrolling, selecting, saving and sharing, as frequently used contemporary curatorial strategies, icO_On encourages to explore the use of digital media for creation, presentation and perception within contemporary art jewellery practice, while reflecting upon the various roles of the (moving) image, the artist, the curator and the viewer.