As a self-taught artist, I cannot emphasize enough the value of digital media. Olivia Wolf-Yamamura interviewed 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 had my earliest experiences with wire and small objects as a child with my grandmother: she collected beads, anise stars, cloves and framed them with golden bouillon wire and created small bouquets. She showed me how to create something new from something we found together.


What are your general thoughts on the contemporary jewelry world (education, market, development)? Where do you see chances and where are the dead ends?
I have a somewhat sober view of the contemporary jewelry world. It's a big matter of the heart for me, but it occupies more of a niche with a limited audience.
Nevertheless, its presence has increased in recent years and visibility has improved through new media. Artists are more visible, more accessible and more insight in their work is possible.
Equilibrium between craftmanship and art jewelry seems to be an ongoing discourse. There are certainly excesses in different directions, such as spectacular collectibles which lost their original functionality. Or series of pieces where the brand name is most important. Or jewelry with a political message.

But they all belong to the spectrum and are important for the discourse.
It is a big challenge to bring art jewelry out of tiny collector communities and bring it closer to regular people.

Unfavorable external influencing factors leading to dwindling purchasing power may change the scene over a period of time, but artists will always want to express themselves creatively, communicate, process their perceptions, and incorporate them into their work. Perhaps on a variable scale, perhaps with economically more favorable materials or with increasing help of new, time saving technologies. But jewellery has been around since the beginning of human history and even today we use ancient techniques. Building bridges between the old and the new will always be a topic.

In retrospect, the circumstances of our time will leave their mark on contemporary jewelry, and this is in an increasingly larger global context than has been seen before.


Thinking about your career, what role do technology and the digital play in your in your artistic development and communication?
As a self-taught artist, I cannot emphasize enough the value of digital media. Today's research options are enormous and provide insight into techniques, instructional videos and options for obtaining work materials and workshop equipment.


How has your work changed over the past few years and what are you excited about these days?
I’m fascinated by glass. I started with lampwork beads, discovered enamel, and currently, I’m experimenting with Pâte de verre. I like the principle of chance and uniqueness of found objects; I'm enjoying using found things for my jewelry: transferring found fruits into a glass or incorporating wood and stones.

Acceptance and contemplation of imperfection and subtle beauty are concepts that intrigue me, and I would like to devote more time to them in the future.