Reinhold Ziegler. Transgression

Reinhold Ziegler processes meteorites, fossils, and Stone Age tools, which represent a universal historical connection that reaches far beyond adornment in the sense of decoration. Rather, the artist sees them as rungs on a ladder that leads from the constraints of rationality and individuality to an immediate awareness of ourselves as human beings and the world around us.

Ziegler's encounter with an Inuit talisman prompted him to question everything that he had learned about jewelry. Embarking on a search for a more profound appreciation led him to Carl Gustav Jung’s understanding of archetypes, which continued via Georges Bataille’s theories on transgression and finally led to a Zen-Buddhist approach to consciousness.

This book is a travelogue of words and images of jewelry objects which no longer serve as a marker of identity but rather endeavor to express unity – with everything that exists.

Consciousness is the connection to everything that is. To continuity. To god, if you will. When everything is silent, what then is one conscious of? One’s own consciousness. Liberation happens when consciousness becomes conscious of itself. The self-aware being awakens. I am a bowl.
/ Reinhold Ziegler