Preziosa Young 2019 in Paris

Artist list

Yajie Hu, Koen Jacobs, Jongseok Lim

Since 2008 PREZIOSA YOUNG is the international competition reserved to young goldsmiths, designers and artisans, with the only limitation of not having 35 years of age.
For each edition, a highly qualified jury selects a small number of participants who are rewarded with an exhibition and the publication of a catalogue.
This year,  PREZIOSA YOUNG received 147 applications from all over the world: lots of candidates, and a lot of work for the jury, which this year consisted of:
Maria Cristina Bergesio, art critic, curator, teacher.
Tasso Mattar, artist and curator.
Maria Rosa Franzin, artist and teacher.
Robert Mazlo, artist and gallerist (La Joaillerie par Mazlo), Paris.
Irene Belfi, gallerist (Irene Belfi Gallery), Milan.


Yajie Hu 
As an artist, I am naturally attracted to colour and texture, as well as art as a tangible, wearable object. I investigate the colours, textures and shapes of some interesting animals, such as snakes and chameleons. I also study the striking colours of carnivorous plants as their approach is to attract insects into their deadly clutches.
These interests have inspired me to create my jewellery collections.
I primarily work with acrylic paint as my ideas are best expressed through it. Working with acrylic paint allows me to be in direct contact with colour. I therefore not only investigate its visual qualities but also explore it as a useable material. At the same time, my designs are based on organic forms, which are then transformed and designed into my own aesthetic pieces.
I aim for my designs to be worn on the body, but also to be valued as art objects.

Koen Jacobs
The Artificial Kingdom
My work is about reliving memories of my childhood. An escape to a child’s naive dreamworld, where they playfully discover the world around them and the beauty of nature. A skeleton is a carrier of past memories and a device for recreating them.
Wearing and playing my marionette animal-skeletons will trigger childhood memories and evoke the naive playful child in you. Just like time adds layers to nature and memories, my animal-skeletons are in a process of transformation, creating a new image.

Jongseok Lim
In our daily life insects might be too petty to grab our attention. Unknowingly, however, we have a close relationship with them which has a far-reaching effect on our lives. When I was young, insects were an object that stirred my curiosity and their peculiar shape left a strong impression on me.
Now, as an adult, they are a means to bring back my childhood memories.
Their impressive appearance is a result of their inevitable evolution in order to coexist with the changing environments of today. Insects are evolving to survive in a fast transforming ecosystem.