July 4th - 22nd 2011
The Dowse Gold Award Recipients Show
In 1998 Australian decorative arts patrons David and Barbara Thomas formed a partnership with the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt to offer a unique opportunity for contemporary jewellery artists to explore the properties of this most precious material on a level not usually accessible to them, by establishing the Thomas Foundation Gold Award for Jewellery.
Now in its twelfth year, the award is offered biennially and is now funded by the Dowse Foundation. The prize consists of $4,000 in cash and $6,000 in gold, some of which is to be used to create the winning design which then becomes part of The Dowse collection.
In their selection the judges look for a design that demonstrates an understanding of gold in the fullest sense - technical and cultural, and the resulting collection of works in gold is both stunning and distinct to New Zealand.
The 'Dowse Gold Award' exhibition at Fingers will be the first time that this body of work has been shown in Auckland. Each of the five award recipients (Pauline Bern 2000, Joanna Campbell 2002, Kirsten Haydon 2004, Lynn Kelly 2007, and Areta Wilkinson 2009), have created a small body of work to sit alongside their winning entries, and in addition each participant has selected one other jewellery artist to exhibit with them, with choices based on personal inspiration, use of gold or themes discussing value.
The result is a diverse and exciting show of contemporary treasures by internationally renowned jewellers. The exhibition will commence with an opening from 2pm on Sunday the 4th of July, and will run till the 22nd of July.
Fingers gratefully acknowledges the generosity of The Dowse in making this exhibition possible.
May 30th - June 10th 2011
Karl Fritsch
'ringe zu verkaufen'
"I am always very happy when I accidentally meet somebody wearing one of my rings. Usually it looks different than when it left me, and this is great. It lives with somebody and experiences incredible things. The ring wants people to try it on – for whichever reason – and even a collector or a museum curator won’t be able to resist it. The ring is curious and looks for curious wearers."
Karl Fritsch
March 7th - 18th 2011
Ross Malcolm
'Home Sweet Home'
'Fun with Flax'
"Spending time away from home recently has helped me develop some different ideas... One has been to investigate and use things in my immediate surrounds as starting points for new work.
'Fun with Flax' has manifested because I have a bush directly outside my kitchen window... it's in my face every day and I see it change through the seasons.
In summer, its earthy colours shift and mingle sometimes with a backdrop of bright washing on my clothesline... Tuis visit intermittently, adding a unique New Zealand touch to the palette. In winter, spent pods on high stalks flutter and dance in the wind.
These 'Fun with Flax' pieces have been made with found plastics, tin, resin, synthetic/linen threads and sterling silver. Coming to grips with new concepts and materials isn't always easy, but its good fun, plus, an added bonus if it works!"
Ross Malcolm, 2011
Malcolm left a career in construction to pursue his interest in contemporary jewellery, first studying then teaching at Manukau Institute of Technology. The jeweller's technical innovations result from comprehensive explorations into the possibilties of his chosen materials.
February 7th - 18th 2011
Silke Trekel
Spatial Structures
"I am fascinated by level and spatial structures and their principles of arrangement. Discovering these and transforming them into jewellery is my artistic ambition. Associations with architecture and the microcosm of the plant world are visible in equal measure. Using just a few basic elements, I create room-filling, complex structures, whose charm lies in the balance between the simple, large form and the wealth of the detail in the small form - the finely chased ornament."
Silke Trekel, 2010
Silke Trekel received her early training in Germany under Professor Dorothea Prühl at the University of Art and Design, Halle.
As well as receiving numerous awards in Germany and exhibiting widely in Europe and America, she has taught a masterclass at the London Royal College of Art and was Artist in Residence at the ISCP New York.
Her work is held in the A.I.R. Contemporary Jewellery Collection in Idar-Oberstein, the Marzee Collection in Nijmegen, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York.
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