Hannah Offermann. Winner of the New Talents Award 2025 by Klimt02

This is the Eleventh Edition of the New Talents Award by Klimt02.

View all the works, schools and teachers of the New Talents of the 2025 edition

The winner of the New Talent Award 2025 is Hannah Offermann, who graduated from Pforzheim University School of Design in Germany, where she studied under Professors Andi Gut, Christine Lüdeke and Valentina Michaelis.

We would like to thank all the participating school members — students, teachers, and institutions — for embracing the purpose of this award: to celebrate and support the vitality of jewellery schools and the future of our sector. Your participation reaffirms the value of education, the life of these institutions, and the hope they carry for the next generation.

We would also like to acknowledge the second and third places in the voting for this award and by this jury. The second place was awarded to Marta Bosch Valentí from the Escola Massana, Centre d'Art i Disseny and third place to Duoduo Lin from the Glasgow School of Art.

The Prize consists of a professional jeweller profile on klimt02.net, a solo exhibition at Hannah Gallery Barcelona by Klimt02 and a €1000 prize sponsored by M. Luisa Samaranch, in recognition of a work that will find its place in the Maria Luisa Samaranch Collection.

Klimt02 2025 Jury decided to award Hannah Offermann:
Hannah Offermann’s series Armor and how it forges relationships stood out for the clarity of its proposition: armour is explored through pieces that operate with equal strength on the body and as independent objects. Visually and conceptually, the project unfolds with real coherence - from drawings to patterns, and from structure to presence - with volume handled precisely, right down to the surface treatment. When the work is taken off, the idea of the empty shell remains, making the idea tangible in what is left behind.


Andi Gut, Guiding Teacher at the school, states:
Hannah’s jewellery fosters self-awareness and confidence, harnessing the unique power jewellery has to transform how we feel.
She reinterprets the historical relationship between jewellery and armour in a contemporary way, opening up a space to consciously reflect on the fact that we must accept and reveal our vulnerability in order to come closer to one another.
Her work gives space to ambivalent feelings and expresses them through its symbolic power. Even as objects, deliberately removed from the body, the pieces offer us the confidence to reveal ourselves while also being able to set boundaries where necessary.


Hannah Offermann states:
In addition to various forms of physical armor, such as chainmail or turtle shells, there is also psychological armor. This armor helps us to survive difficult situations and, on the other hand, ensures that we do not unnecessarily put ourselves in dangerous situations. This armor is formed as a protective reaction triggered by experiences.
The wearing of armor can create behavioural patterns that shield an individual from others, prevent them from opening up and showing their vulnerable side, or stop them from taking new steps. Armor can create a barrier and distance, where closeness would be important. A sense of social sense and a stable, supportive environment with deep, healthy relationships are important for individuals and a healthy psyche. It is therefore important to find a balance between protective armor and the ability to form bonds.

In this work, it is the aim to create an awareness that we all wear armors and that we can take it off in certain situations. Psychological armor is flexible and is able to evolve and change continuously. Once you become aware of your armor, you can work on how far it can extend and when it can be taken off. Trust is established and a deep relationship developed when the vulnerable self is revealed.

The first step is to wear the pieces of this work. Specifically, it involves becoming aware of your own personal protective mechanisms and understanding when they are in place and what effect they are having.
The second step is to recognise situations or phases of life in which the armor is not necessary and can be taken off. You can show yourself to be open and vulnerable. However, the armor does not simply disappear; rather, it becomes an empty shell.

When worn by a person, its function is very clear, but when it is taken off, the question arises as to what it is for and what should be inside the shell. Perhaps this shell remains empty when removed, as it is ultimately intended for the body and psyche. It can serve as a reminder that one is capable of taking control of one's own armor. Perhaps it serves as a repository for insecurity or fear that would otherwise be carried around. In any case, it can be used as armor again when the feeling arises that this is necessary.

Two materials were used in this work. One is copper, and the other is a para-aramid thread—Kevlar. It is very strong in relation to its weight. It has particularly high strength and heat resistance. The thread is much stronger than metal, yet appears much more fragile.
By being aware of one's own armor, it is possible to create a balance, which, however, must be explored again and again. This should be used to create healthy protection that still allows for courage, optimism, trust, and openness.


Contact:
Mail: hannah.offermann@gmx.de
Instagram: @ofenadesign


The exhibition will be on show at Hannah Gallery from March 18 until April 24 2026.

We want to thank all participating students, teachers, and staff members for your collaboration and the quality of the presented works and encourage all of you to apply for the 11th edition.

Very soon, the 12th Edition of the New Talents Award by Klimt02 with the guest jury, deadline, and detailed conditions will be launched.