Shining Despair

Artist list

Marta Alonso, Henrike Altes, Raquel Bessudo, Eliane-Catrie Blouin Achim, Susan Buchanan, Isabelle Busnel, Sébastien Carré, Sunyoung Cheong, Eunhee Cho, Elvira Cibotti, Xenia Deimezi, Clara Del Papa, Denis Music, Yichen Dong, Javier Ens, Esteban Erosky, Donald Friedlich, Laurel Fulton, Juan Harnie, Minami Hiranuma, Holland Houdek, Aimee Howard-Clinger, Stacey Huang, Katherine Hubble, Arisa Inoue, Aya Iwata, Ara Jo, Malene Kastalje, Jeannette Knigge, Marilyn Koch, Maria Konschake, Lorena Lazard, Namkyung Lee, Lena Lindahl, Rikke Lunnemann, Carmen López, Katherine Mc Namara, Misha McLean, Iris Merkle, Fanni Nagy, Eiko Nakahara, Thu Huong Nguyen, Taibe Palacios, Wiebke Pandikow, Jounghye Park, Lily Preve, Juan Riusech, Catalina Rivera, Uri Samet, Jina Seo, Sara Shahak, Kamile Staneliene, Deganit Stern Schocken, Sanna Svedestedt, Anna Talbot, Rho Tang, Myriam Theveniaud, Anna Timar, Gloria Tormo, Maud Traon, Youjin Um, Willy Van de Velde, Pilar Viedma, Jeanine van der Linde, Ute van der Plaats

Always with limited success. Some sort of pain and suffering are too overwhelming and cause a feeling of helplessness and a state of mind that we can either transform or accept as it is.

But we artists have a unique opportunity; with our craftsmanship and its requirements and the various materials and substances that are in front of us, we can take out the texture of our despair and transform it, following the call for life and creating luminous objects, – giving birth to a shining jewelry piece, with all its beauty and grace, a silent witness to our despair.

The exhibition will be held at Werkstatt-Galerie: ZentnerStrasse 3, 80798 Munich. 
Shining Despair is included in the Schmuck 2025 program. 

Exhibition opening hours: Wednesday March 12th to Friday 14th : 13h-18h30 | Saturday March 15th : 10-12h
Opening: Wednesday March 12th, 2025 : 18h30-20h30



Photo cover: Look, the Transparent People Neckpiece by Deganit Stern Schocken.
Transparent figures representing a generic family—woman, man, child—serve as both “food” and victims on a serving tool. They embody the dialogue between horrifying real-life experiences and their representation as adornments in a work of jewelry, creating a conversation between reality and art. The gap between the two underscores the observer’s role as a responsive individual—someone who listens, sees, and reacts to atrocious events. The physical attachment of the small plastic figures to the ready-made object can be interpreted as a form of violence. Another ready-made object, sourced from the field of ophthalmology, relates to our capacity to observe and internalize. Upon close examination of this eye object, one sees themselves upside down. The black ‘elegant’ ribbon signifies mourning. This piece of jewelry seeks to encapsulate both an idea and, more importantly, emotions. Can one truly look directly at wartime? What is the role of art in the context of war?