Sex, Drugs & Rock ’n’ Roll…Vices or Lifestyle?

Artist list

Sabine Amtsberg, Michael Berger, Luisa Bruni, Cristina Dias, Susanne Elstner, Maria Rosa Franzin, Nicoletta Frigerio, Francesca Gabrielli, Fabiana Gadano, Marta Hryc, Annamaria Iodice, Hadas Levin, Rikke Lunnemann, Alessandro Petrolati, Claudio Ranfagni, Zoe Robertson, Nora Rochel, Maurizio Stagni, Claudia Steiner, Barbara Von Taeuffenbach, Karen Vanmol, Angelo Verga

The perceptions of Dante Alighieri, who described the seven deadly sins and seven virtues in his Divine Comedy, are the starting point of the competition and exhibition project entitled Sex, Drugs & Rock ’n’ Roll…Vices or Lifestyle?



Dante Alighieri (1265—1321), the great Italian poet of the late Middle Ages, referred to lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride as deadly sins. We wanted to find out what jewelry artists think about vices and lifestyle in our day and age and asked them to illustrate, using their medium, the ideas associated in the past with sin and vice. Since the 1960s, the notion of sin, which was often associated with youth protests and women’s emancipation, has under gone major changes. Today, people in all modern societies are much less prone to regard sexuality in principle as a sin. Even the approach to drugs is much more differentiated, although we know that the use of and dealing with hard drugs are a worldwide problem. And it is also evident that even work, sports, TV and many other things can turn into “drugs” — not to mention alcohol, this socially acceptable drug which, as of late, is again being used excessively, especially by youths. In the light of the crises of the 21st century, the seven deadly sins and seven virtues described by Dante Alighieri have gained a new relevance. However, in addition to the “traditional” seven deadly sins, there are a number of entirely new vices and tres passes that play an important role in everyday life in the year 2012. Destruction of the environment, excessive arms build up in view of permanent hunger crises, or genetic engineering can be regarded as sins of our time and are topics that dominate both the media and the public discourse today. 



On the one hand, the Sex, Drugs & Rock ’n’ Roll….. Vices or Lifestyle? competition puts contemporary jewelry in the lime light. All over the world, this highly traditional medium is being used by more or less academically trained designers in a largely liberal artistic fashion. Any material is allowed, and an almost unlimited spectrum of ideas can be expressed in these body related creations. What unites the protagonists of modern jewelry is the idea that their medium is neither supposed to serve merely as a fashionable accessory nor as a means of representation. Artistically designed jewelry is above all a carrier of ideas. On the other hand, the theme of the competition is particularly interesting for jewelry creators because jewelry has been regarded from a moral aspect since the time of the Enlightenment. Expensive jewels — which only the very rich can afford — still evoke envy and resentment, provoke crime and are associated with vice. Especially in this respect, contemporary jewelry is considered a counter-concept. It is intended for imaginative wearers who appreciate inventive creativity and individuality. We would like to thank all the participants for their contributions and our jurors, Barbara Schmidt and Giovanni Corvaja, for their expert selection.



Heidemarie Herb and Luigi Mariani