Preziosa Young Design Competition 2019. The LAO and Inhorgenta special prizes 2019

Since 2008 PREZIOSA YOUNG is the international competition reserved to young goldsmiths, designers and artisans, with the only limitation of not having 35 years of age. Participation in the competition is totally free of charge.

For each edition, a highly qualified jury selects a small number of participants who are rewarded with an exhibition and the publication of a catalogue.

For many editions, the INHORGENTA fair has awarded one of the artists with a special prize which consists in a free exhibition space for the next edition of the fair, for one of the artists selected in the annual competition.
For the 2019 edition, the artist indicated by INHORGENTA is Jongseok Lim, who will then be able to present his work to the international public of the fair from 14 to 17 February 2020.

Since 2018 LAO has also decided to award a special prize: a three-month stay as an artist in a residence in Florence.

The winner of the prize is housed in an apartment in Florence and has at his disposal the school laboratories to carry out his project, which will result in an exhibition to be held at the end of the period of stay.
The artist will also hold a seminar with the students of the school.

The artist selected for LAO Special Prize 2019 is Koen Jacobs!
Koen is already in a beautiful apartment in Florence and uses the LAO laboratories to carry out his research, which will end with an exhibition that will be inaugurated on June 27th. Among other things, Koen will also hold a short workshop for a group of LAO students.

Dreamworld of Grotesque
It feels like a dream to be the winner of the LAO special prize, an artist in residence at Le Arti Orafe jewellery school, in the beautiful city of Florence! I have received a very warm welcome to the school and to my comfortable apartment. I am very grateful for this fantastic opportunity to focus on a new project for 3 months. In my research I follow the footsteps of the Renaissance, learning from the achievements of classical antiquity. With the great help of the school, I started to learn the ancient technique chasing and repoussé, difficult, but very exciting to be able to model a flat sheet of metal. At school, there is a very pleasant vibe of the nice hard working students and teachers, which provides me with an enjoyable workplace.


Technique learning and practising.


Koen's research.


Koen's sketchbook.


During my residency, I study about the Grotesque, research which brings me to marvellous places in Florence and surroundings. The word Grotesque derives from the Italian word Grotte, which means cave. The word first was used after the rediscovery of Roman fresco’s found in the grotto/ cave-like rooms of Domus Aurea, ‘the golden palace’ of Emperor Nero in Rome. Just like Renaissance artists, I went to Rome to admire the fresco’s. Grotesque came into fashion during the Renaissance and also in Florence great examples can be found. I’m especially amazed by the grotesque fresco’s of Uffizi Gallery. I spent hours looking up at the vaults to study and draw after the Hybrid creatures from the wondrous, mysterious and dreamlike world of the grotesque; in the hope to unravel its meaning. I use the drawings as a starting point for the pieces of jewellery I’m gonna make.
/ Koen Jacobs