7th Hanau Goldsmith Laureate: Tabea Reulecke

Along with the honor of the Goldsmith Laureate, the recipient is also provided with a one-man-exhibition at the German Goldsmiths’ House. To date, there have been six Goldsmith Laureates as guests in Hanau: Rudolf Bott, Jiro Kamata, Karl Fritsch, Sam Tho Duong, Hilde De Decker and Vera Siemund.

The selection of the Goldsmith Laureate is a project that only became possible through the co-operation among the City of Hanau, the Society for Goldsmiths’ Art, and the Staatliche Zeichenakademie. The city provides the financial means, and the organization of the project and the exhibition is the responsibility of the Society for Goldsmiths’ Art, while the Staatliche Zeichenakademie makes available its rooms and laboratories, thus offering the Goldsmith Laureate an optimal workplace.

Tabea Melanie Reulecke, born 1981 in Berlin, has already made a name for herself as an internationally recognized artist of the next generation. In 2006, she graduated with a design degree from the University of Trier in the Department of Design, Gems and Jewelry in Idar- Oberstein. Also in Idar-Oberstein, Ms. Reulecke received her Master of Fine Arts in 2015, with a thesis titled “Experience the CLOSE-UP.”
Already during her training period, she was frequently abroad where she held workshops or gave lectures in Estonia, Belgium, Thailand, China, Brazil, and Chile; and since 2007, she has also participated in group and individual exhibitions in both Germany and abroad. She has received honors and prizes In the United States, Japan, Belgium, Poland, and The Netherlands.

Her working sojourns throughout the world have marked the artist and her jewelry. The work with the most impressive technique of enameling is only one of her focal points. She is also familiar with the handling of wood, paper, horn, bone, or precious stones. Colorfulness always dominates in her works; she values the combining of various colors of wood such as ebony, padauk wood, or olivewood. Tabea Reulecke often finds inspiration for her jewelry in the observation of animals. She likes to interpret their behavior and movements in small, adept sketches and paintings, which then can be found in her brooches or elaborate necklaces.

On June 21, 2017, Tabea Reulecke will arrive in Hanau and will report on her work in a public lecture at the Staatliche Zeichenakademie. The workshop with selected students at the school will be held June 22 - 29, 2017. Tabea Reulecke will then have the opportunity to be inspired by Hanau and to work at the Zeichenakademie for five weeks.

In 2018, the German Goldsmiths’ House will devote a monographic exhibition to this artist.