Šperkstret 2020: Body Politics and Jewelry
Meeting
/
22 Sep 2020
-
30 Nov 2020
Published: 26.10.2020
Academy of Fine Arts and Design
- Mail:
- sperkstret
gmail.com
- Phone:
- +421 917 845 841
- Management:
- Jewellery's Association AURA

The 10th edition of the international conference ŠperkStret, subtitled Body Politics and Jewelry, will focus on the reflection of contemporary jewelry on social and political events, environmental issues related to manual production, sustainability, and the ethical harvesting of precious materials. The live events will be held from 24th to 30th of November 2020 in Bratislava, the online conference will take place from 3rd to 5th of November 2020. This year's lecturers are Karen Pontoppidan (DK/DE), Pravu Mazumdar (IND/DE), Katarína D.F. Siposová (SK), Ilaria Ruggiero (IT), Katja Prins (NL).
ŠperkStret is an active platform for contemporary jewelry discussions hold by professional jewelers, collectors, art theorists, curators, and the general public. Every edition of the conference is dedicated to a specific topic and the lecturers (professional artists, gallerists, curators, theorists, collectors) are chosen so that they can comment on the theme in a range of individual opinions creating a comprehensive picture of the discussed issue. The program is accompanied also by ongoing exhibitions and a creative workshop.
Body Politics and Jewellery
The mission of contemporary jewelry is to reflect and explore issues that are fundamental to contemporary culture, including the change of view of ornamentation and the human body. What seems to be particularly important is the relationship between jewelry and the current social events in the context of the expression of the personal identity and opinion of the wearer. While wearing jewelry is generally a private gesture, it can be also viewed as a public manifestation commenting on the social, political, and cultural problems of the society as support, protest, non-verbal critical gesture, or generally shared memory. Jewelry represents a person's determination to express their attitude towards political events, membership of social groups or subcultures and to speak in a way that no other wearable object can. The generally shared will to ornament the body with jewelry is compensated by the desire to express some sort of message through it. This gives it the power to become a powerful communication tool in the public space. Even a simple piece of jewelry, a badge, can be served as an active symbol of identification with an equally minded group of people. It is a political manifestation of social and political solidarity. It relates to our urgent desire to identify ourselves as a sympathizer or an adversary and our impulsive effort to define ourselves against something or someone. These small objects are not merely visual mechanisms for different social schemes, but there are identification objects characterized by their power of symbolic gesture.
Virtual Public Lectures:
The online lectures, moderated by Dana Tomečková, will be in English with simultaneous translation and Q&A session afterward.
Lecturer: Katarína Defeo Fiúza Siposová (SK)
Date: 3 Nov, 5 pm - 6 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
Lecturer: Karen Pontoppidan (DK/DE)
Date: 3 Nov, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
Lecturer: Pravu Mazumdar (IN/DE)
Date: 4 Nov, 5 pm - 6 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
Lecturer: Katja Prins (NL)
Date: 5 Nov, 5 pm - 6 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
Nudity is not conceived as a physical condition, but as a symbolic event of resistance and sensitization. Concretely the project aims to be an artistic movement, an open and continuous platform of reflection and stimulation to give substance to those studies, which see the body and existence as an area of exploration. The goal is to compare the most varied experiences and to broaden social and political awareness. The great wealth of perspectives and themes addressed by the various participating artists presents jewelry as a means of raising questions relating to major issues of life. It is an act of provocation and resistance, subversion and sensitization, which focuses upon the body, through the medium of the jewel, as a statement of politics, identity, and humanity.
Lecturer: Ilaria Ruggiero (IT)
Date: 5 Nov, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
Accompanying Program
Dates: 10 Sep - Nov 8.
Address: Pálffyho palác GMB, Panská 19, Bratislava.
Address: Galéria Čin Čin, Podjavorinskej 4A, Bratislava.
Address: Galéria NOVA, Baštová 2, Bratislava.
Address: Galéria X, Zámočnícka 5, Bratislava.
Address: Galéria Cit, Heydukova 15, Bratislava.
Address: Galéria Umelka, Dostojevského rad 2, Bratislava.
Address: vPRIESTORe, Klemensova 5, Bratislava.
For more information and to view the program visit www.sperkstret.sk.
The project is supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council, Bratislava Self-Governing Region and Bratislava City Foundation.
Body Politics and Jewellery
The mission of contemporary jewelry is to reflect and explore issues that are fundamental to contemporary culture, including the change of view of ornamentation and the human body. What seems to be particularly important is the relationship between jewelry and the current social events in the context of the expression of the personal identity and opinion of the wearer. While wearing jewelry is generally a private gesture, it can be also viewed as a public manifestation commenting on the social, political, and cultural problems of the society as support, protest, non-verbal critical gesture, or generally shared memory. Jewelry represents a person's determination to express their attitude towards political events, membership of social groups or subcultures and to speak in a way that no other wearable object can. The generally shared will to ornament the body with jewelry is compensated by the desire to express some sort of message through it. This gives it the power to become a powerful communication tool in the public space. Even a simple piece of jewelry, a badge, can be served as an active symbol of identification with an equally minded group of people. It is a political manifestation of social and political solidarity. It relates to our urgent desire to identify ourselves as a sympathizer or an adversary and our impulsive effort to define ourselves against something or someone. These small objects are not merely visual mechanisms for different social schemes, but there are identification objects characterized by their power of symbolic gesture.
Virtual Public Lectures:
The online lectures, moderated by Dana Tomečková, will be in English with simultaneous translation and Q&A session afterward.
- Every Body Counts - On the Social Value of Jewellery
Lecturer: Katarína Defeo Fiúza Siposová (SK)
Date: 3 Nov, 5 pm - 6 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
- Jewellery: A Social Political Statement
Lecturer: Karen Pontoppidan (DK/DE)
Date: 3 Nov, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
- How to Do Things with Jewellery - On the Power of Objects
Lecturer: Pravu Mazumdar (IN/DE)
Date: 4 Nov, 5 pm - 6 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
- Brave New World
Lecturer: Katja Prins (NL)
Date: 5 Nov, 5 pm - 6 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
- NUDA VITA The Practice of Collective and Political Body
Nudity is not conceived as a physical condition, but as a symbolic event of resistance and sensitization. Concretely the project aims to be an artistic movement, an open and continuous platform of reflection and stimulation to give substance to those studies, which see the body and existence as an area of exploration. The goal is to compare the most varied experiences and to broaden social and political awareness. The great wealth of perspectives and themes addressed by the various participating artists presents jewelry as a means of raising questions relating to major issues of life. It is an act of provocation and resistance, subversion and sensitization, which focuses upon the body, through the medium of the jewel, as a statement of politics, identity, and humanity.
Lecturer: Ilaria Ruggiero (IT)
Date: 5 Nov, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
Register here for this lecture.
Accompanying Program
Dates: 10 Sep - Nov 8.
Address: Pálffyho palác GMB, Panská 19, Bratislava.
- Star Dust by Karol Weisslechner
Address: Galéria Čin Čin, Podjavorinskej 4A, Bratislava.
- Like a Broken Record by Maya H. Nepšinska
Address: Galéria NOVA, Baštová 2, Bratislava.
- Schmuck wander vol.5
Address: Galéria X, Zámočnícka 5, Bratislava.
- AutoportréMY by Martin Grosman
Address: Galéria Cit, Heydukova 15, Bratislava.
- Figúra by Ondrej Ďurian
Address: Galéria Umelka, Dostojevského rad 2, Bratislava.
- OFELIA by Soňa Kabáňová
Address: vPRIESTORe, Klemensova 5, Bratislava.
For more information and to view the program visit www.sperkstret.sk.

Exhibition venue, guided tour Star Dust by Karol Weisslechner in Gallery Čin Čin.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Exhibition opening introduction of the catalog Show me the face by Jana Machatová and Peter Machata in Bratislava City Gallery Pálffy palace.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Exhbition view of Show me the face by Jana Machatová and Peter Machata in Bratislava City Gallery Pálffy palace.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Exhibition opening of Like a broken record by Maya H. Nepšinská in Gallery NOVA.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Exhibition view of Like a broken record by Maya H. Nepšinská.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Exhibition venue during the guided tour of Figúra by Ondrej Ďurian in Gallery Umelka.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Exhibition view of Figúra by Ondrej Ďurian in Gallery Umelka.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Exhibition view of the international traveling exhibition, Schmuck Wander vol.5 in Gallery X.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Workshop statement dressing, Primát by Pavol Prekop in Gallery Umelka.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Academy of Fine Arts and Design
- Mail:
- sperkstret
gmail.com
- Phone:
- +421 917 845 841
- Management:
- Jewellery's Association AURA
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