Found at... Made in...by Rian de Jong

Gallery Loupe is proud to present Rian de Jong: Found at... Made in..., an intriguing presentation by the esteemed Dutch sculptor-jeweler. As the title implies, Found at... Made in... consists of pieces fabricated from objects and materials acquired during myriad travels taken with her partner, Herman, aboard their sloop, the Lyra. Some of the pieces in this collection of over twenty brooches, neckpieces, rings, and jewelry-related objects will be paired with a framed photograph by de Jong, which illuminates the jewel along with its genesis. The exhibition is accompanied by a beautiful catalogue of images by de Jong of the jewelry, site-specific landscapes, and her boat-based workspace, with texts by artist Moniker Brugger in English, German, Spanish, French, and Dutch, languages deliberately chosen by de Jong to illustrate the need for verbal communication in learning about, and nurturing a receptiveness to, the various cultures that influence her oeuvre.
The peripatetic de Jong divides her time between her home city of Amsterdam, The Netherlands and the rest of the world, which she sails around in the boat, sometimes remaining at an exotic locale for extended periods of time. In fact, place and the processes of necessity inform her diverse practice. She is notable for incorporating elements obtained during her travels with rough, electroformed copper, semi-precious stones, glass or ceramic, fabricating jewelry within a tiny shower stall and counter area on board the Lyra. Encountering terrible weather in Patagonia during March 2014, de Jong and Herman were sequestered for eleven days on the boat, within a cave along the Straits of Magellan, awaiting favorable sailing conditions, when she began Found at... Made in... 

Attached to nautical rope, beads from Idar Oberstein and Amsterdam form two necklaces; fur, originally acquired from a Reykjavik fashion designer for mittens to be worn in the Antarctic, becomes a necklace, also, as does a little silver bear happened upon in New York and a piece of driftwood that had "wandered" around the boat's cockpit for years - always in an upright position - even in the worst storms; a piece of fruit and bit of coral are connected to make a jewel, as are elk horns, fur, silver, and pearls.  
Of all de Jong's series', Found at... Made in... metaphorically charts her life's course by propelling her aesthetic to a definitive level. It is about things you pick up, she states, and when in another place ...It's about the impression of travelling, being receptive to new experiences, working and living on the ship, and. It's about joy, new materials and the courage to do something unexpected...


Opening: 19 Sept 2015 - 6pm-8pm

Hear Rian de Jong speak about her work:
Brooklyn Metal Works  4 Oct 2015 - 3pm
640 Dean Street, Brooklyn NY