21 Grams in Apeldoorn

Artist list

Paul Adie, Peter Bauhuis, Helen Britton, Bifei Cao, Carla Castiajo, Aaron Patrick Decker, Peter Deckers, Patrícia Domingues, Yanli Duan, Iris Eichenberg, Nedda El Asmar, Sara Gackowska, Adam Grinovich, Xin Guo, Sophie Hangarth, Ann-Kathrin Hartel, Jing He, Nils Hint, Meiing Hsu, Meiri Ishida, Koen Jacobs, Xueling Jin, Junwon Jung, Lauren Kalman, Heejoo Kim, Seulgi Kwon, Heng Lee, Helena Lehtinen, Yinliang Li, Xiao Liu, Urmas Lüüs, Suska Mackert, Lilian Mattuschka, Kadri Mälk, Chequita Nahar, Xianou Ni, Evert Nijland, Ted Noten, Pavel Opocensky, Seth Papac, Ruudt Peters, Annika Pettersson, Karen Pontoppidan, Suzanne Pugh, Estela Saez Vilanova, Nina Sajet, Sondra Sherman, Robert Smit, Nadja Soloviev, Jie Sun, Tore Svensson, Anneleen Swillen, Edu Tarin, Terhi Tolvanen, Vivi Touloumidi, Fabrizio Tridenti, Frank Verkade, Xiaojia Wang, Xiaoxin Wang, Zhenghong Wang, Chumeng Weng, Mian Wu, Chenqian Xu, Xihan Zhai, Chenzhi Zhang, Kun Zhang, Zaozao Zhang, Zhi Zhang

During my research into the concept of the soul, I came across a pseudo-scientific study from 1901 by Dr Ir. Duncan MacDougall, who claimed that the soul has a measurable weight. He tried to measure the mass that people lose the moment the soul leaves the body. Because he managed to prove that six patients became 21 grams lighter at the time of their death, he concluded that the human soul has a weight of 21 grams. This weight, the 21 grams, is a mysterious concept that appeals to the imagination. It has been a source of inspiration for filmmakers, songwriters, artists, writers and documentary makers. Although the 21 grams and the mystery that surrounds it seems like an obvious subject for jewellery, Until the preparations for this exhibition, no one had created such a jewellery.
/ Ruudt Peters, curator


21 grams was exhibited at 2018 Hangzhou Contemporary International Jewelry and Metal Art Triennial, Munich Jewellery Week, Mons, and now it travels to CODA Museum, Apeldoorn.