I Like Being Able to Recognize Each Other in Our Differences. Interview with Elvira Cibotti by Klimt02

Tell us about your background. What were your first influences to be creative and become an artist and what has drawn you to contemporary Jewellery?
I started with my hands in the clay, without worrying about the size or volume of what I wanted to create. It was after a long journey, in which I met wonderful artists and teachers, such as Antonio Pujia, that I discovered the possibility of working in a small format with wax. I could continue sculpting and modeling with the benefit of being able to wear my pieces.

I worked for many years alone in my workshop, making pieces exclusively with this technique, modeling or using small elements of nature that I included in my pieces. The exploration with different materials and the search for more artistic jewelry came later when I felt more comfortable with the handling of different techniques.


How important is networking for you in your professional practice and what are your preferred tools for this?
Other’s opinions on my process always make me think and enrich my work. I could not go back to work in isolation. Belonging to a group of jewelers, in which we share topics of mutual interest, different views, forms of expression, and participate in workshops both facilitate exchange and reflection, but above all they motivate and stimulate me.

During the pandemic, I learned to connect and relate beyond face-to-face, through live-talks and conferences that were transmitted online. I am very interested in knowing how other artists work and express themselves, and I like being able to recognize each other in our differences.




What are your general thoughts on the contemporary Jewellery world, (education, market, development...), where do you see chances, and where are dead ends?
When I started, there were not yet too many educational options in Buenos Aires beyond workshops, courses, or seminars. There was no formal education developed in this field as in Europe, for example. This is changing in Latin America in general, and new options are opening, not only in education but also in terms of networks, exchange of ideas, exhibitions, and sales. The Latin American Jewellery Biennial that takes place in Argentina; Jewellery Week in Brazil and Colombia are an example of this. They allow us better visibility and participation without having to depend exclusively on what happens in other countries that have been in the contemporary jewelry circuit longer.

Worldwide, it is a field that has grown enormously, integrating itself into the world of contemporary art. However, I do think that we still need to educate the public for them to recognize and accept us as another form of artistic expression. Countless galleries, museums, and fair curators work for this, supporting us and paving the way.


How has your work changed over the past few years and what are you excited about these days?
Little by little, I left the lost wax technique to explore other ways to build my pieces, using other materials such as wood and textiles. But it was when I decided to experiment with paper that I found my identity and my way of expression. 

Reusing paper previously selected for its quality, color, or the texts written on it became my main technique. It is a long process that begins with the classification of the paper and continues with the construction of the module that will be later transformed, thus creating the piece.

When I chose paper as the main material for my work, I had to figure out how to solve the technical aspects for each piece for them to be wearable. I generally solved the mechanisms with metal. This material was used as a necessary accessory, but it had no presence itself. However, I started to feel the need to make both paper and metal talk and complement each other, to give them more places and reasons to coexist in the piece that I was designing.

Overall, I continue to greatly enjoy the process and the exploration. And I give myself the time and allow each piece to unfold and grow at the rate it needs.