Lecture by Beppe Kessler: Material Matters

Material Matters (between jewelry and painting)

The starting point of a lot of work lays in the materials.

I show my work as a process; 35 years of practice. I had my education at the textile department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy Amsterdam, where I studied both textile art and industrial textile design. After the Academy I developed my self as a jewelry maker and as a painter. In both fields I invented my own rules, do's and don'ts. In a way it was good not to be taught although it maybe was a more difficult way.

For me it is very basic and inspiring to jump from one field to another. The different fields are not really separated, they belong to the same way of working and of exploring the material. In this lecture the main focus will be on the jewelry but I also show the strong relationship between the fields. The paintings are inspiring for the jewelry and vice versa. Also working on a bigger scale has its influences. Parallel I show commissions for art in public spaces.

‘Little treasures’, that is how I describe my works of art; miniature sculptures composed of age-old and contemporary materials, brazenly combined and not bound to the traditions of jewellery making. They express my feelings and thoughts about life. They invite touching and they tell a story, summarized in titles justifying their existence.