Black Dove #1 by Yael Friedman. Future Classic by Anja Eichler

This article examines Black Dove #1, a pendant created by Yael Friedman in 2024, and proposes that the piece possesses the inherent qualities required to become a future classic. Building on theoretical considerations of cultural canon formation, it further outlines a framework through which such a transformation may occur.


A Dove Like No Other

At first glance, the pendant shows a simple dove standing against what seems to be a blazing sun. But look closer: the bird’s skeleton appears beneath the surface, turning an age-old symbol into something far more unsettling—and far more interesting.
Across cultures, the dove is a universal messenger. Here are just a few of its symbolic meanings [1]:

- Picasso made it the icon of peace after World War II. ​[2]
- In the story of Noah, it announces hope after the flood.

Friedman’s version doesn’t let us settle comfortably into these stories. The exposed skeleton breaks the familiar symbolism. It reminds us of vulnerability, of endings as much as new beginnings. It might even point to the fractured present we live in. And because of that skeletal twist, the pendant echoes the long artistic tradition of memento mori—reminders that life is precious and fleeting. [3]
Ultimately, the motif of Black Dove #1 opens a rich field of interpretation. It speaks to shared human experience and forges connections across cultures and generations.


Bridging the Ancient and the Modern

Damian Skinner names as one distinctive feature of contemporary jewelry that “materials and skills are placed in the service of ideas, rather than being celebrated as ends in themselves.” [4]
Black Dove #1 exemplifies this alignment.
Rice—one of humanity’s oldest cultivated grains—is here used in its natural colors to form an ancient mosaic technique. [5]
The chromatic range of the grains echoes archaeological mosaic palettes from across the Mediterranean and Asia. The material thus functions simultaneously as a global signifier of nourishment, ritual, and cultural exchange. In sum, it is a material perfectly attuned to what Black Dove #1 explores—human life and the issues that, sometimes regrettably, are all too human.

The mosaic is framed in a 3D-printed structure, creating a deliberate tension between ancestral craftsmanship and contemporary digital fabrication. This pairing underscores the work’s broader concern with historical continuity and rupture.

According to commonly cited criteria for what makes a piece a classic [6], Black Dove #1 satisfies every point: historical dialogue, universal resonance, balance of concept and visual language, and depth of meaning through multiple layers of interpretation. As a “future classic”—though I would prefer the term “masterpiece” to emphasize the distinction—it functions as a sounding box [7] par excellence.


What turns a Masterpiece into a Classic?

But ticking boxes is not enough. As the klimt02 editors wrote: “A classic endures. It remains relevant, inspiring, and influential over time, (...). Possibly, a classic is not born: it becomes.” [8]

This distinction is crucial. The artwork may already constitute a masterpiece, but its status as a classic depends on processes external to the work itself. A classic is a social construct.
Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory provides a useful analytical lens. In Luhmann’s view, an object becomes “art” only insofar as it is integrated into the art system through exhibition, critique, market activity, and discourse. The artwork serves merely as the occasion for communication; the system itself consists of these communicative processes. [9]

Gatekeepers—curators, critics, gallerists, and institutions—act as “second-order observers,” attributing relevance and permanence.

Applying this framework to contemporary jewelry, contemporary jewelry artists produce candidates for canonization, but a work can move from masterpiece to classic only through the sustained engagement of its gatekeepers.


And Today? Enter Social Media

Luhmann wrote before the internet and social media reshaped how visibility works. Today, everyone has a platform—or at least, the chance of being noticed. Thus, new forms of public visibility have emerged, raising questions about whether the public itself can function as an additional gatekeeping force.

The crowd may never replace the traditional gatekeepers, but it certainly influences what gains traction, what resonates, what stays in memory. Could the public itself help crown a classic? That is a question for another investigation.

For now, one thing seems clear: Black Dove #1 has everything it needs to take off. Whether it will soar depends on who picks it up—and who keeps talking about it.



Notes:
[1]: Doves as Symbols, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doves_as_symbols#:~:text=Doves%2C%20typically%20domestic%20pigeons%20white,and%20paganism%2C%20and%20pacifist%20groups
[2]: Dove (Picasso) on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_(Picasso)
[3]: Memento Mori on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_mori
[4]: Damian Skinner: What is Contemporary Jewelry? Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective p.7 Art Jewelry Forum Edition, published by Lark Books / Sterling Publishing, New York, 2013.
[5]: Mosaics on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic
[6]: How and When a Piece becomes a Classic? Cécile Maes, published: 17.10.2025 on klimt02.
[7]: Mr Hamilton after Skirving. Future Classic by Nichka Marobin, Nichka Marobin, published 21.11.2025 on klimt02, https://klimt02.net/forum/articles/mr-hamilton-after-skirving-future-classic-nichka-marobin
[8]: How and When a Piece becomes a Classic? Cécile Maes, published: 17.10.2025 on klimt02.
[9]: Niklas Luhmann, Die Kunst der Gesellschaft (The Art of Society), Suhrkamp pocket book science, Frankfurt am Main 1995, p. 131.



Why Future Classics?
Our aim is not to define academic criteria or impose any form of conservatism, but to collect subjective perspectives that help us understand the values and expectations shaping our field, without reducing them to fixed rules or hierarchies.
By sharing these voices, we invite you to think together and open a conversation about durability, relevance, and the ways particular works contain certain patterns or enigmas that make them continue to speak over time.
 

About the author

Anja Eichler (Berlin) holds a diploma/PhD in business administration and worked for several years in this field. Later, she attended Alchimia School of Jewelry, Italy, from where she graduated in 2011. She lived and worked for several years in China and wrote articles about Chinese Contemporary Jewelry for Art Jewelry Forum. Her work centers on bringing aspects of life into jewelry – be it through everyday materials or pointing to everyday issues. It has been exhibited (inter-)nationally. Apart from this, she gives lectures, teaches workshops and organizes/curates exhibitions around the world.