111 ANELLI ' Foreverrings & Ringchen '... e NUVOLE ROSSE

Artist list

Bettina Dittlmann, Michael Jank

111 FOREVERRINGS, forged in finegold, fine silver, copper, mild steel in cooperation by Dittlmann & Jank alternated with 'RINGCHEN' (wire rings, iron enamel and garnet by Bettina Dittlmann.

- NUVOLE ROSSE screenprinted on T-shirts by Michael Jank
- Pendants in iron and enamel and brooches in acrylic glass by Bettina Dittelmann

For this occasion - peculiar, unique opening's date - 11.11...11 - a special piece of jewellery will be designed by the artists 

German jewellery artist Bettina Dittlmann is known for her richly detailed jewellery often comprising rhythmic structures made up of iron or silver. In many of the pieces, the metals are covered in coloured enamel or serve as a setting for stones. As a rule, the structures are powerful and tightly compact – yet sometimes the jewellery consists of nothing but a thin, black wire forming a fragile figure. In these cases, it is as though the artist were drawing a pure and delicate line in the air in a defiant attempt to negate the metal’s inherent heaviness.

The Fürimmerringe (‘Foreverrings’) 
Bettina Dittlmann has fashioned jointly with her partner and artist colleague Michael Jank are a quite different proposition. The surfaces of the rings have a patina of muted colours, as if they had been lying in the earth. The metal is chunky, the forms roughly hewn; the surfaces bear signs of hammer blows. During the creation process the workpieces move back and forth between the two artists. The swapping of the half-finished rings could be seen as a gesture of giving. When a ring is finished, it is impossible to say who was responsible for creating which detail, which hand made which imprint with the hammer, and which artist made which decision.

The exchange of workpieces between the two artists can also be seen as a metaphor for the social function of the ring; it is an object that is given and received. Furthermore, the ring is a sign of belonging and affection. These rings look as if they are capable of surviving a fair number of difficulties and crises. With their physical weight alone they are an eloquent expression for the seriousness of the commitment we often make in our close relationships – they are forever. Are we willing to wear these rings and to enter into this kind of undertakings?