Herbert Hofmann Prize 2020

The Jury members:
Prof. Otto Künzli, München.
Prof. Jantje Fleischhut, Düsseldorf.
Dr. Gert Bruckner, Danner Stiftung München.
Dr. Sabine Runde, Frankfurt, activated via conference call.
 
The jury found three Herbert Hofmann award winners worthy of award in 2020:

Melanie Isverding, Germany.
Necklaces made of ebony, silver, cotton and leaf palladium.
 
Melanie Isverding's large-format necklace with palladium-coated circular discs impresses with a very sophisticated graphic reduction and exciting composition. The fine-tuned black tones of the ebony frame, the woven cotton field and the blackened silver hanger contrast with the circular discs. The symmetrically constructed frame also contrasts with the two disks, which could be interpreted as heavenly bodies, suggesting the movement of planets. When dealing with weaving processes, reference is made to the Greek mythology of weavers. The creation of textile fabrics is seen as a metaphor for the emergence of thought structures, stories and a design to look at the world.
 
Katrin Feulner, Germany.
Necklaces and brooches from found metal objects.
 
Katrin Feulner's pieces of jewellery from the "Cut" series are made from found metal objects. The starting pieces have geometric shapes such as circles, profiles or bars. The individual elements are cut into slices and reassembled. As a result, repeats and a certain rhythm, balance and tension can develop. The basic technique of sawing with different goldsmith's saws creates a slightly moving surface, which is softened by grinding and exudes something soft and gentle and invites you to touch it. A very simple means of design, namely a targeted sawing movement, turns jewelry pieces that are originally made of raw steel into cuddly jewelry that is nice to wear. The inner and outer processes play a role in the work. The process of working is as important as its result.
 
Carla Nuis, The Netherlands.
Thin gold sheet ring.
 
At first glance, Carla Nuis gold ring looks massive and heavy. On closer inspection, however, one discovers signs on the edges that it could be built. In fact, it is made of wafer-thin gold sheet that has been welded. The ring is therefore hollow and light as a feather. A first handshake would deform and change the worn ring. This reveals its actual character, fragility. This work shows the never-ending interplay between appearance and being. The ring is not intended for eternity, but for changeability, from the claim to infinity to finitude.