Open Call for the Israel Biennale of Contemporary Jewelry Third Edition

The core mission of the Biennale is to establish an international nexus for creative exchange, elevate the contemporary jewelry field, and bring groundbreaking artistic expressions to the general public. By submitting your candidacy, you gain the extraordinary opportunity to present your work directly to a world-class panel of international jurors who represent the absolute pinnacle of contemporary jewelry today. Being evaluated and selected by this elite panel gives you unprecedented exposure, institutional recognition, and direct connections to top-tier global art networks, galleries, and museums.


The Concept:
The herd principle is, at its core, one of the most ancient, complex, and vital survival mechanisms in both nature and humanity. It operates within the delicate, fragile threshold between the existential need for warmth, protection, belonging, and community, and the inherent dangers of absolute conformism, the loss of reason, blind obedience, and the erasure of individual identity.

In our current era—where mass consciousness is replicated and amplified through social networks, algorithms, and digital echo chambers—the questions of "what drives us to move together?" and how we preserve a core of free thought have become more relevant and urgent than ever.

The "Biennale" seeks to open the widest possible range of interpretations and connotations for this concept, diving deep into the tension between collective consciousness, independent thought, and personal liberty through four fundamental layers:
 

• The Biological and Evolutionary Layer: An investigation into the primal animal urge to merge into a moving crowd, the dynamics of uniform movement through space, and the synchronous rhythm of the collective where the private body becomes part of a larger organism, eliminating the need for individual logic in exchange for existential security.
   
• The Psychological and Existential Layer: The loneliness and anxiety of stepping out of line, versus the temptation of the comfort found in assimilation. As Jean-Paul Sartre reminded us, escaping into the collective is often an act of "bad faith" (mauvaise foi)—an attempt to evade the absolute and terrifying responsibility that an individual bears for their own destiny.
   
• The Social and Political Layer: An observation of the mechanisms of leadership and compliance, and the fine line between a supportive community that empowers its members and a binding herd that nullifies the individual's voice.
  In a crowd every sentiment and act is contagious, and contagious to such a degree that an individual readily sacrifices his personal interest to the collective interest. /Gustave Le Bon, The Crowd.
   
• The Layer of Independent Thought and Individualism: An exploration of the individual's inner fortress—the capacity to doubt, the courage to question, and the strength required to hold a dissenting opinion when the spark of private thought collides with the dictates of the collective. This layer resonates with Friedrich Nietzsche's critique of herd morality and his exploration of the tension between social conformity and the individual's capacity to create, question, and define values independently.

Elegibility and Jury:

Candidate Eligibility.
Open to all professional, studying, and emerging jewelry artists globally. Candidates of all nationalities and backgrounds are eligible to apply.

International Jury Panel.

• Jeannie Lee: Founder and Director of Siat Gallery (Seoul). RISD and Paris art, culture, luxury management graduate, international gallerist featured in Apollo Magazine's 40 Under 40 Craft Business, with gallery works acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
• Leo Caballero & Amador Bertomeu: Founders and Directors of Klimt02 and Hannah Gallery (Barcelona). Renowned international editors, curators, and advisors who built the leading global knowledge archive for contemporary jewelry, connecting over 50 countries.
• Shinji Nakaba: Renowned Japanese artist (Kanagawa). Known internationally for his “Wearable Sculptures” and “Pearl Skulls,” and a LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize finalist. His works are represented in major public collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
  
  *Note: The Jury's decision is final and independent of the organizers.

Entry Criteria & Requirements

Entry criteria
Artworks must relate to the theme. Artists are invited to present 1 to a maximum of 3 artworks. Only digital images (jpg files, no more than 2 MB each, minimum resolution of 300 dpi) shall be accepted. The artist may freely present his vision of the theme. The artist has complete freedom in choosing the materials and sizes of the artworks. Jewels presented must be wearable, original, one-of-a-kind, and created within the last 2 years.

Requirements

• 1 to 3 finished pieces per artist.
• Artworks should have been created within the last 2 years (2024-2026).
• No modification or additions allowed after the submission and/or selection.
• Statement linked to the theme of max 150 words in English.
• For each artwork submitted, please provide two (2) professional-quality photographs of the artwork against a clear background: one front view and one back view.Images must be submitted in JPG or JPEG format, with minimum dimensions of 2000 × 2000 pixels and a resolution of 300 dpi. The maximum file size is 2 MB per image.

Photo captions:

• Artist name.
• Type of artwork.
• Title of the artwork.
• Year of creation.
• Size of the object: Height, width, depth, in millimeters.
• Materials.
• Credits (photographer, collectors, others).

If the submitted data is incorrect or incomplete, the application will be canceled.
For the application to be accepted by the organizer, all the above requirements must be met.


Application & Fees

How to apply?
Please send all requested materials:

• Images (Image name: full name of the artist ex. Yael Boon1, etc.)
• Photo captions (Word file)
• Text up to 50 words (Word file)
• Short bio (Word file)
• Confirmation of Payment
• Instagram account (ex. @Yaelboon)

To the email: cjewelrybisrael@gmail.com
Please indicate in the email title your full name.

Application Fee
To be eligible for jurying, the artist must first pay the application fee 50€ - to be paid via PayPal.
To the account: cjewelrybisrael@gmail.com
The submission will not be accepted until the payment is received.


Key Dates

• Deadline for submitting applications: 01/11/26.
• Notification of selected participants: mid-November 2026.
• Biennale Opening: 17/12/26.

Selection & Logistics

Selection
The artist candidates will be informed of the Jury's choice by email. The list of artists selected will be published on social media. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reach every candidate. We'll only notify those who are selected.

Shipment, Return, Customs, and Insurance

• The arriving entries will be handled with the greatest possible care.
• Artists are responsible for covering all expenses for sending and insuring their.
• All the shipping costs, including handling fees, customs, etc., should be borne by the entrants.
• We do not accept parcels from couriers or forwarders that charge customs duties on delivery. (i.e., we do not accept any parcels for which the entrants do not bear all necessary transportation costs.)
• The organizer will not bear any responsibility for accidents, damage, loss, or other problems that occur during the works' transport to the submission venue.
• The entrants may optionally apply for the appropriate insurance.
• The artist will bear all costs for return shipping.

The arrival of the works:
Only if you have received an email confirming your acceptance and participation in the Biennale will you be sent an email with the shipping address.


Disclaimers & Cautions

Disclaimers
Entrants hold all of the rights regarding the entered works; however, entrants agree to the following:

• The organizer reserves the right to exhibit the selected works and publish them in the official catalog and advertising paper.
• The organizer reserves the rights regarding the use of photo images and the information on the entrants in advertising media, including social networking sites, regardless of print or electronic forms.
• The organizer reserves the rights regarding the interpretation and quotes in lectures and similar events.

Cautions
The organizer will not accept any questions regarding the Jury's results.
In any of the following cases, entries will not be judged;
For submission of incomplete documents or unpaid fees, if an entry is regarded as a fake design, customs duty is claimed from the organizer.


Organization & Terms
Organization

• The organizer will be in charge of the entire exhibition (installation and supervision of the artworks) as well as of the advertising and the publication of the artworks.
• The selected pieces will be displayed at the Ayalon Museum, Rehovot, Israel .
• The organizer might be the link between artists and potential buyers, but no sale commission will be charged. The exhibited artworks may in no case be removed from the exhibition before the end of the event.

Consent
By applying to the Open Call, the artist agrees to the organizer's use of photographs of the art material provided, as well as any taken during the exhibition, for use in various media outlets, such as the web, social media, catalogs, posters, magazines, video, etc. Assignment of the right of media reproduction granted by the artist is non-exclusive, non-transferable, and for unlimited territory for the distribution of reproductions.

Participation in the Open Call does not involve any transfer of ownership of the artworks. All texts and photographs made available by the artist to the organizer are protected by copyright and remain the artist's exclusive property. Any distribution or other uses are prohibited apart from agreements established in writing. The artist will be credited in all communications managed by the organizer.

Cancellation and reimbursement
The organizer has the right to cancel any participation for false information or for failure to comply with the specified criteria and dates. Cancellation by the participant holds a 100% penalty of the total value of the participation fee.
The organizer reserves the right to cancel the event. If that happens, the application fee will not be refunded; only the participation fee will be reimbursed.


Organizer & Supporters
Organizer
The Biennale is a private initiative.
Founder & Director: Ariel Lavian

Supporters

• Ayalon Museum
• Klimt02
• Siat Gallery
• Shinji Nakaba