Handshake 6: Signing In

Exhibition / 31 Oct 2020 - 13 Nov 2020

Published: 22.10.2020

Te Auaha Gallery

: 65 Dixon Street
6011 - Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

: Website Te Auaha Gallery; Website Handshake 6; Instagram Handshake; Instagram Handshake 6

Mail:: handshakeprojectxtra.co.nz

Curator:: Makers 101

Necklace: Degrade by Macarena Bernal.Polymer resin, pigments, sterling silver, magnet, trimmer line.. 2020

Set: Pantone Rings by Macarena Bernal.Powder coated bronze, polymer resin, pigments.. 2020Wanting to address social inequality by means of jewellery, I began researching skin color. This confronting and thought-provoking subject is exposing me to uncomfortable truths such as unfounded perceptions, divisive beauty, and pre-conceived value. Observing, mimicking, selecting, organizing, and threading skin tones in the shape of beads to later wear, is revealing the limitations of my own skin colour and the inequality I have experienced as a Latino immigrant in NZ..

Set: Untitled by Aphra Cheesman.Mixed media. 2020.Awarded at: Talente 2022. Masters of the FutureUnique pieceThis series is a result of an ongoing practice of observing and collecting in daily life. I seek out encounters that have occurred between objects and the body and in doing so, reflect on how we connect with the world in a corporeal and tactile sense..

Object: Sleeves by Fran Leitch.Cotton, linen thread.. 2021.300 x 30 cm

Object: Locked in sleeves, lost hands by Fran Leicht.Cotton, cotton thread, plastic.. 2020.100 x 15 cmI have always found solace and purpose in the act of formulating my thoughts, memories, dreams, and ideologies into tangible forms. My ancestors were lace makers, seamstresses, weavers and goldsmiths; I feel their hands pushing upon my back every day when I work. The work I’am currently absorbed in for the HS6 honours and quietly tells the feminine narratives which have been passed down in my family for generations. Some narratives you can see directly in the work, while others I only hold in my heart and mind as I sew, this process creates an ambiguous reading, telling a story without telling it...! .

Object: Untitled by Amelia Rothwell.Stone, EPNS, soap, Kauri wood, cotton, tissue, felt, lint, resin, oxidized silver.. 2020Stones. On the ground and of the ground. Grounded; grounding. Hand objects..

Object: Gate (Shadow) by Simon Swale.PVA foam.. 2020.211 x 51 x 1 cmThis work explores our subjective relationship to the world from both physical and phenomenological perspectives. I have attempted to create objects which when interacted with, create an embodied knowing of the world through a renegotiating of subject and object. The wearing of these objects is interactive, activating space, the senses, and the body. Gates and Gateways offer the experience of liminal space and the crossing of thresholds. I perceive these works as portals to new spaces: physical, psychological, and emotional..

Brooch: Clench by Susan Videler.Oxidised copper, silk, wire.. 2020.10 x 6 x 5 cmWe are immersed in a web of visible and invisible threads and knots of attachment and thinking. These patterns and responses influence our physical and mental wellbeing. My work explores through texture, form, and colour the nuances of entanglement..

Object: Untitled by Nina van Duijnhoven.Paper.. 2020

Object: Untitled by Nina van Duijnhoven.Paper.. 2020My work revolves around environmental issues and spiritual beliefs, such as impermanence and non-attachment. I want to explore non-attachment to material possessions, emotions, ideas, and opinions, to jewellery owned and worn. If we can embrace impermanence on a spiritual level, we create freedom. Paper by its ephemeral nature symbolizes transience. How will the short-term life span of paper jewellery affect the relationship the wearer has with the piece? Will it be enjoyed fully while it lasts, or will it mostly be treasured in a drawer?.

Macarena Bernal
Necklace: Degrade, 2020
Polymer resin, pigments, sterling silver, magnet, trimmer line.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.

Macarena Bernal
Set: Pantone Rings, 2020
Powder coated bronze, polymer resin, pigments.

Wanting to address social inequality by means of jewellery, I began researching skin color. This confronting and thought-provoking subject is exposing me to uncomfortable truths such as unfounded perceptions, divisive beauty, and pre-conceived value. Observing, mimicking, selecting, organizing, and threading skin tones in the shape of beads to later wear, is revealing the limitations of my own skin colour and the inequality I have experienced as a Latino immigrant in NZ.

Aphra Cheesman
Set: Untitled, 2020
Mixed media
Awarded at: Talente 2022. Masters of the Future
This series is a result of an ongoing practice of observing and collecting in daily life. I seek out encounters that have occurred between objects and the body and in doing so, reflect on how we connect with the world in a corporeal and tactile sense.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.

Fran Leitch
Object: Sleeves, 2021
Cotton, linen thread.
300 x 30 cm
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.

Fran Leicht
Object: Locked in sleeves, lost hands, 2020
Cotton, cotton thread, plastic.
100 x 15 cm

I have always found solace and purpose in the act of formulating my thoughts, memories, dreams, and ideologies into tangible forms. My ancestors were lace makers, seamstresses, weavers and goldsmiths; I feel their hands pushing upon my back every day when I work. The work I’am currently absorbed in for the HS6 honours and quietly tells the feminine narratives which have been passed down in my family for generations. Some narratives you can see directly in the work, while others I only hold in my heart and mind as I sew, this process creates an ambiguous reading, telling a story without telling it...!

Amelia Rothwell
Object: Untitled, 2020
Stone, EPNS, soap, Kauri wood, cotton, tissue, felt, lint, resin, oxidized silver.

Stones. On the ground and of the ground. Grounded; grounding. Hand objects.

Simon Swale
Object: Gate (Shadow), 2020
PVA foam.
211 x 51 x 1 cm

This work explores our subjective relationship to the world from both physical and phenomenological perspectives. I have attempted to create objects which when interacted with, create an embodied knowing of the world through a renegotiating of subject and object. The wearing of these objects is interactive, activating space, the senses, and the body. Gates and Gateways offer the experience of liminal space and the crossing of thresholds. I perceive these works as portals to new spaces: physical, psychological, and emotional.

Susan Videler
Brooch: Clench, 2020
Oxidised copper, silk, wire.
10 x 6 x 5 cm

We are immersed in a web of visible and invisible threads and knots of attachment and thinking. These patterns and responses influence our physical and mental wellbeing. My work explores through texture, form, and colour the nuances of entanglement.

Nina van Duijnhoven
Object: Untitled, 2020
Paper.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.

Nina van Duijnhoven
Object: Untitled, 2020
Paper.

My work revolves around environmental issues and spiritual beliefs, such as impermanence and non-attachment. I want to explore non-attachment to material possessions, emotions, ideas, and opinions, to jewellery owned and worn. If we can embrace impermanence on a spiritual level, we create freedom. Paper by its ephemeral nature symbolizes transience. How will the short-term life span of paper jewellery affect the relationship the wearer has with the piece? Will it be enjoyed fully while it lasts, or will it mostly be treasured in a drawer?

Signing In presents the twelve emerging artists who have signed up for a two-year commitment to Handshake 6. This group started in January 2020, initiating their creative processes with a masterclass from US-based artist Iris Eichenberg. The title of the exhibition also gives a nod to this exceptional year of the coronavirus, and there is perhaps evidence of this in some of the work.

Artist list

Macarena Bernal, Antonia Boyle, Aphra Cheesman, Jack Hadley, Fran Leitch, Nikki Perry, Amelia Rothwell, Mia Straka, Simon Swale, Susan Videler, Michelle Wilkinson, Nina van Duijnhoven

Signing In reflects the participants’ work as a group since the start of their mentorship and marks the halfway point of their two-year journey. Here you will see an emphasis on process as much as "finished" work, an opportunity to catch a glimpse of ideas in their nascent phase, with many options and opportunities yet to emerge.

Opening:
Friday, 30 November, 5:30 pm.
Opening Hours:
Mondays to Fridays, 10 am - 6 pm.
Saturdays, 10 am - 3 pm.

About the Handshake Project:
The Handshake Project supports early-career New Zealand jewellery artists, allowing them to develop ideas and artworks for a series of exhibitions with the assistance of a chosen mentor. Each mentor acts as a sounding board in the development and making of artworks. The Handshake Project offers a unique opportunity for artists to extend themselves beyond the confines of commercial necessities, providing encouragement and freedom to test the boundaries of their chosen craft. The progressive nature of the program aims to foster independent makers with innovative and energetic practice.

Te Auaha Gallery

: 65 Dixon Street
6011 - Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

: Website Te Auaha Gallery; Website Handshake 6; Instagram Handshake; Instagram Handshake 6

Mail:: handshakeprojectxtra.co.nz

Curator:: Makers 101

Handshake 6: Signing In

Artist list

More Exhibitions

Materia prima, design as transformation

The Void as an Affinity

Feathers, Frost and Fantastic Creatures

A Safe Place. The Shell and the Fault: Jewellery as Architecture of Shelter

A Spoonful Of by Sarah Hurtigkarl

Slow Matter during New York Jewelry Week 2026

Crown Jewels as a Metaphor during New York Jewelry Week 2026

Hand to Form. An Art To Wear Exhibition during New York Jewelry Week 2026

Between Heaven and Hell by Sofia Björkman

Tincal lab Challenge 2026. Jewelry and Identity

Laboratorium with Kim Buck

Fireworks in the Rain

WeerWerk by Ria Lins and Els Vansteelandt

Aesthetics of Technology. A new permanent exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne

VONMO 5th Contemporary Jewelry Exhibition 2026: Seeding

Handshake 6: Signing In

Artist list

Related Forum:

Handshake 7 at Gallery Marzee. An Exhibition Review by Mia Straka

How original is original? Thoughts on Handshake 5 Project

Show it ALL by Peter Deckers

Related Events:

The Handshake Project / Israel - Local Boundaries

Handshake: The Conventional Reformed

Handshake in Hamilton

Handshake 5: In Site

Handshake 4: Polarity

Handshake 3 at The Dowse Art Museum

Related Publications:

Contemporary Jewellery in Context: a Handshake Blueprint

Other Related Contents

Makers 101

newsletter

More Exhibitions

Materia prima, design as transformation

The Void as an Affinity

Feathers, Frost and Fantastic Creatures

A Safe Place. The Shell and the Fault: Jewellery as Architecture of Shelter

A Spoonful Of by Sarah Hurtigkarl

Slow Matter during New York Jewelry Week 2026

Crown Jewels as a Metaphor during New York Jewelry Week 2026

Hand to Form. An Art To Wear Exhibition during New York Jewelry Week 2026

Between Heaven and Hell by Sofia Björkman

Tincal lab Challenge 2026. Jewelry and Identity

Laboratorium with Kim Buck

Fireworks in the Rain

WeerWerk by Ria Lins and Els Vansteelandt

Aesthetics of Technology. A new permanent exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne

VONMO 5th Contemporary Jewelry Exhibition 2026: Seeding