Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

Artist list

Bridget Catchpole, Annette Dam, Helena Johansson Lindell, Karin Jones, Alex Kinsley Vey, Matt Lambert, Tania Larsson, Helga Mogensen, Anna Rikkinen, Máret Ánne Sara, Catherine Sheedy, Despo Sophocleous

Jewellery is one of the oldest cultural identifiers. Over 120,000 years ago, prehistoric humans engaged in this aesthetic, adorning their bodies with shell necklaces. Much like contemporary art, contemporary jewellery expands our view of society, culture, the world-at-large and ourselves. It differentiates itself from other craft practices because it isn’t one material. It can be animal, vegetable or mineral, thus opening many possibilities. Jewellery is significant for its direct associations with bodies, its ability to convey ideas at an intimate level and its movement through space and time.  


These artists embrace debris and detritus, running counter to widely held ideas about what constitutes “fine jewellery” and what represents value. Through the catalyst of contemporary jewellery, artists use materials redolent with meaning and the body as a site to confront issues of identity, social critique and political change. 


As part of Nuit Blanche.