Duo exhibition by Marianne Anselin and Ambroise Degenève

Artist list

Marianne Anselin, Ambroise Degeneve

When Marianne Anselin ventures outside her studio, rather than seeking to reconnect with nature, she is on the hunt for vacant lots, abandoned industrial sites and wastelands, in order to find the perfect iron or steel object that will stimulate her creativity. Weathered by the wind and rain, these rusty objects, ranging from cans to discarded nails, become her raw material. Back at the studio, they are gradually transformed into necklaces, rings or brooches. The initial object is forged, bent, drilled, curved, adorned with gold or silver, or set with stones. The object's history, already altered by its disuse, is not lost. It is renewed in the artist’s hands and will be continued by the new owner. Forged nails become butterflies; keys become "studio" necklaces.

My studio is a place of mutation, where preciousness is a perspective between nature and culture; a connection between place and the sublime moment where the object returns to providing a physical experience for the wearer.
/ Marianne Anselin


For several years, Ambroise Degenève has been conducting research centred on electroforming, a highly distinctive technique that allows to "grow" metal. This technique becomes the instigator of the resulting aesthetic. The artist initiates the process and lets the electroforming take over, thus subverting the discipline's great principles, such as gem-setting and the highlighting of preciousness and rarity. This new body of work includes pearls, which he sees as a response to a defect, a result of chance and a defence mechanism. Indeed, when a foreign body is introduced into an oyster, the latter protects itself by encasing it in mother-of-pearl until it becomes an actual pearl, a parallel to the process used by the artist. Through the technique of electroforming, pearls are covered with thin layers of metal, until their delicate surface almost disappears under the dark and rough textures of metal. Ambroise’s practice consists of constant experimentation, which he is always enthusiastic about. He offers a range of possibilities through a series of rings and earrings.

Marianne Anselin and Ambroise Degenève both seem to mock the codes of jewellery through their actions. Marianne values and magnifies raw found materials, while gold and silver become incidental. As for Ambroise, he intentionally hides pearls and stones within the confines of his pieces.