In Other Smiles by Melanie Isverding

Artist list

Melanie Isverding

Isverding is a perfectionist. Each piece is meticulously crafted, its many parts admirably connected - the backs as complete as the fronts. Some are kinetic, others stationary; some are monochromatic, others possess colored planes. They are all mysterious; and in studying the works, it soon becomes apparent that they are not what they initially appear. The jewels are regular but not robotic; architectural yet not enclosed; classical nonetheless futuristic. Necklaces and brooches, they connote spacesuit regalia, yet equally recall artifacts from antiquity, medieval chains of office, Victorian chatelaines. They speak of traditional jewelry-making techniques and formats, however, Isverding subverts time-honored rules by darkening the metal, crushing gems and pearls, creating a whisper of luxury rather than a scream.
 The jewels are numbered in a series titled Cavea - hollow space. Clearly, Isverding revels in the interstices, the miniscule, patterned voids covering much of her irregularly rational shapes. Nevertheless, the nomenclature is enigmatic, just like her output. She means her jewels to be elusive - objects filled with memory, longing, expectancy - solid, yet ephemeral; equivocal yet emotive.  With In Other Smiles, Isverding beckons us to look beyond the façade.

Melanie Isverding holds a graduate degree from Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Munich. She is the recipient of several awards, including Oberbayerischer Förderpries für Nachwuchskünstler, Munich; BKV-2 Prize für Junges Kunsthandwerk, Munich; and Oberbayerischer Förderpries für Angewandte Kunst, Germany. She has participated in many solo and group exhibitions, most recently Lux is the Dealer at Kunstpavillon in Munich; her work is included in the CODA Museum and Marzee Collection, both in the Netherlands.