Iris Bodemer: Rebus. Jewelry 1997 - 2013

This ornately produced monograph offers an interim appraisal of the diverse work from 1997 onwards by the contemporary German jewelry artist Iris Bodemer (born 1970). The pieces are presented in countless large-format illustrations and succinctly accompanied by an essay from art historian Marjan Unger.

Jewelry and drawings stand at the heart of Bodemer’s creative production. And yet the artist enjoys experimenting with diverse materials, whereby it is not the value of the material that is important but rather its possibilities of use and expression. In her art she deals with what she sees and experiences. Thoughts are manifested in tangible objects, and prevailing problems in time are captured, most notably in her 2013 group of works. Yet at the same time, creative freedom is particularly important to Iris Bodemer. The most diverse forms, colours and textures are all brought together to become one work, which stands independent from the canon of her predecessors and is able to speak for itself. Hence she consciously does not comment upon her own work.

Both jewelry and book offer to Bodemer the possibility of giving an inventory to her work. They stand as established reference points in our modern fluctuating information-based society.