Trier University of Applied Sciences, Campus Idar-Oberstein. BFA and MFA Degree Show 2024

Artist list

Anna Ariutkina, Dua Fatima Baig, Lena Bonsack, Grace Horton, Iris Hummer, Erik Lijzenga, Gina Nadine Müller, Julia Plura, Helena Renner, Jasmin Schlesiger, Gheseh Shahandeh, Miriam Strake, Nioosha Vaezzadehangoshtarsaz

Anna Ariutkina:
I am thinking about the droplets born at the tips of spring icicles, pulsing like a heart to the rhythms of the wind.
I am thinking of all the bizarre creatures that the stains on my kitchen table, appearing in place of dried droplets, are folded into.
I am thinking of caves, underground canals and secret corridors blurred by millions of drops. Drops so tender, fragile but so strong. Just like many of us.
I am thinking to keep a few raindrops for someone who needs it. A small puddle can be a river for bees and birds If it was collected.
I am thinking of caring about all these tiny witnesses of my daily life. Perhaps even this small act will be healing for our tired, tortured world.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets
Website: https://annaariu.com/de


Dua Fatima Baig:
Utilizing gender as a sieve, my research sifts through the blend of space, objects and society, which function in total entanglement in our hushed choreography of daily life at home, thus sidelining critical analysis. Growing up in Pakistan, I witnessed how traditions like dowry preparation shaped a woman’s future. My work scrapes the core determinants that lay bare why women’s grounding in society is the way it is, embodying these insights into art to stir potential shifts in the Theatre of Domesticity. 
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets


Erik Lijzenga:
My habit of collecting objects and my bachelor studies in Product Design has given me a close connection with the objects that surround us in our daily lives. In my work I attempt to gain a deeper understanding of these objects. During my time at the the Master of Gemstones and Jewellery at Hochschule Trier in Idar-Oberstein I have taken the time to develop a practice around this fascination.
Through my large collection of found objects I have come to understand that an object carries many stories within itself, stories of inception, production and distribution, stories of ownership, use and being discarded. By working with these objects I want to explore their stories and origins and show the beauty that can be found within them.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets
Website: http://www.eriklijzenga.com/


Gheseh Shahandeh:
The dance of conflicting emotions with a desire of seeking balance. My work started when I found myself entangled with all the contradictions I experienced after moving to Germany. The delicate interplay of displacement and discovery. The entanglement of contradicted emotions works as an ongoing dialogue between the past and present, roots and wings, the known and unknown. These pieces are not just adornments, but vessels of personal stories and cultural threads, uncovering hidden emotions and traumas, inviting touch and connection with other human experiences.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets


Gina Nadine Müller:
Jewellery is an intimate object – worn close to the body, we associate it with personal moments. I see my works as objects of gentle touch, which connect to the wearer’s memories and emotions. Their forms and textures want to be explored with the body, sensing the surface of the material on the skin and experiencing its weight when a piece is worn. By combining various materials, such as sea snail shells, leather, porcelain and cosmetic sponges, I play with contrasts like soft and hard, rough and smooth, flexible and rigid… Pale pink colours evoke expectations of delicacy and sensuality while the haptics and tactility of my work might be unexpected and surprising.
Supervisors: Prof. Theo Smeets, Julia Wild


Grace Horton:
These works are apart of an exploration which interrogates the complex relationships between human consumption, exploitation of natural resources, and the environmental consequences of modern consumer culture. It confronts the reality that behind every object we consume, there is an ecological and moral cost. I work mostly with discarded stone which I source through a process of urban mining. I try to bring colour and a playful nature to the work making the subject matter lighter and more approachable and encouraging for discussion.  
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets


Helena Renner:
My work explores the external and internal perception of the body and its image, sparking a conversation about the ideal physical appearance and the tension between reality, individual desires and societal norms. With a hands-on approach, I‘m transforming readymades like shapewear and underwear, breathing new life into these artifacts and infusing them with profound, layered meanings. Each creation is a visual commentary on the complexities of beauty standards, inviting us to question the constant pursuit of an ever-changing ideal.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets
Website: www.helenarenner.com


Iris Hummer:
The central aspects of my artistic work deal with nostalgia, the construction of the past, the questioning of traditions and values and the identity-creating aspect of jewellery.
In the "Performative Traces" series, I focus on the themes of movement, transformation and the traces that these processes leave behind. Obvious and hidden values play a role and signalise identity. The social recognition between wearer and viewer takes place via codes. Jewellery can be extended with art and performance codes to create new meanings. Jewellery can be seen as a "tool" that invites the wearer to interact playfully and present their own values. This opens up a scope for action, which for me represents the actual value of jewellery.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets


Jasmin Schlesiger:
In the theoretical part of my master's thesis, I dealt with dilettantism and quality in contemporary art, whereas in practice I was more concerned with the influence between the object and the human body. However, I have chosen a completely new technique here and thus also gained experience of what it is like to use a dilettantish approach as a technique for creating art. The foam objects can be deformed by the human body, but their shape also gives the person a certain posture. The bracelets simultaneously deal with the violent penetration of the object and the play of 2-dimensional drawings on 3-dimensional objects.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Dipl. Des. Cornelia Wruck


Julia Plura:
Through exploring the spectrum between introversion and extraversion in relation to society as well as the individual, I have developed jewelry pieces in order to actively navigate and find a healthy balance between the two extremes. In turn, these works can be seen as costume pieces to wear during your performance on the stage of life. They can either invite people surrounding you to engage with said jewelry or create distance with the purpose of setting boundaries. Despite the idealization of extraversion especially in Western society, through this project I have come to the realization that no point on the spectrum is to be seen as better or worse than another. Both extremes have equally valuable aspects in their own unique ways respectively.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Dipl. Des. Tanja Falkenhayner


Lena Bonsack:
My project deals with the feeling of disgust and how it affects the body. Insects are often the trigger for this emotion, which often has negative connotations. Even insects with a positive connotation, such as bees, can trigger disgust through their sheer mass or intrusive proximity. The piece “Death and Honey” gives the viewer the opportunity to engage with a strong reaction of the body and celebrate what the body is capable of through the smallest of triggers. Through the use of organic and inorganic material, the works play with the viewer's sensations. Interesting patterns turn out to be thousands of insects and wriggling caterpillars are made of mother-of-pearl at second glance.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets


Miriam Strake:
Through my work I am exploring pure, simple, geometrical and architectural forms to create shading in and around the material - a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. The focus is on adding depth and dimension to surfaces and transforming the ordinary into something more spatial through the illusion of layers, subtle shades of color and intentional incisions in the material. Experimenting with unconventional materials and mixing them with traditional elements of the jewelry industry inspires me to find new technical solutions and gives the pieces something mysterious and vibrant.
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets
Website: https://www.miriamstrake.com/


Nioosha Vaezzadehangoshtarsaz:
“Shame, Allah” explores the challenges women face in Islamic countries, where religion strongly influences their lives. The project examines the Quran, as the primary text of Islam, and points out the stolen identity of women in Islamic culture, as well as how Islamic societies treat women and men unequally and always put men in prior positions to women.
The project aims to critique the inequalities that exist in Islamic societies without promoting Islamophobia. I furthermore trust that this topic can be transferred in the broader context of any human being suppressed, mistreated and without freedom to live a self-decided life. 
Supervisors: Prof. Ute Eitzenhöfer, Prof. Theo Smeets