This year's programme of the Legnica SILVER Festival includes over a dozen exhibitions, located in the heart of Legnica (Poland). These exhibitions will feature solo and collective exhibitions by artists from Poland and abroad, presenting a broad spectrum of contemporary jewellery in often surprising, innovative and experimental forms. Once again, a series of presentations will be held, which has been running for many years – About the Artists, Silver Schools and Debuts – as well as the traditional exhibitions accompanying the International Jewellery Competition – posters and photography, and Holownia – a show of works not qualified for the main exhibition.
In Legnica, we will see a solo exhibition by Mariko Kusumoto (Japan). Born and raised in Japan, and now living and working in the USA. Artist earned her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Musashino Art College, Tokyo, and her MFA in Printmaking from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Finding herself more interested in the etched metal than the images on paper, she began making sculptures out of etched metal. After working with metal exclusively for almost 18 years, her attention shifted from metal to fabric, or a combination of both metal and fabric. Her designs are incorporated into jewelry and sculptural pieces, and in collaboration with renowned fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier and with luxury brands such as Tiffany and Co., La Mer, and Elizabeth Arden. "My work reflects various, observable phenomena that stimulate my mind and senses; they can be natural or man-made. I ‘reorganize’ them into a new presentation that can be described as surreal, amusing, graceful, or unexpected. A playful, happy atmosphere pervades my work. I always like to leave some space for the viewer’s imagination; I hope the viewer experiences discovery, surprise, and wonder through my work. In all of my work there is always the insistence on skill and craftsmanship.” – explains the artist.
Peter Machata (Slovakia) will also introduce his work. He's a graduate of Jozef Jankovič’s sculpture studio at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, who began to concentrate on jewellery after completing his studies. Artist is the winner of the Gallery of Art in Legnica's prize in 29th International Jewellery Competition "TOUCH" in 2022. Peter Machata perceives jewellery as small sculptures, and thus consistently and consequently builds the syntax of his objects based on the principles of relief. For many years he worked mainly in silver. Over time, he also discovered the interesting properties of plastic, which allows him to experiment with CNC milling machine and scanner.
Another artist presented at Legnica's SILVER Festival will be Mari Ishikawa, whose exhibition refers to the elusiveness of sensations and emotions. In her work, Mari Ishikawa describes everyday life with jewellery full of metaphors. "We can't see anything until we try it. Discovery begins with the sense of sight." – says the artist.
The Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER in 2024 will also feature a collective exhibition of contemporary jewellery and design with amber organized by the International Amber Association from Gdańsk (Poland), as well as the debut of Jonatan Poeche - a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź (Poland). The creations and viewpoints of young artists will also be explored by visiting the anniversary exhibition of the Jewellery Institute of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź.
Another collective exhibition titled "Computer & Jewellery" is organized by the Muzeum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec na Nisou (Czech Republic). Exhibition participants were tasked with portraying the theme of the influence of computer technology on humankind. In addition to metal and glass jewellery components, they were required to incorporate computer components into their jewellery, which they used to connect their work with traditional Jablonec production.
The Gallery of Art in Legnica will host the next edition of the international video festival inspired by jewelry and wearable art – SMCK On Reel. The event is organized by SMCK Magazine.
Perhaps most exciting will be the long-awaited announcement of the results of the latest edition of the International Jewellery Competition. This time, artists have been invited to reflect on the slogan EMPATHY. As the organisers note: “Empathy is that unique sensitivity and openness to the world that underlies artistic creativity. It is the care that the artist, the creator, the designer directs towards their work, their creation, the object, the being that s/he brings to the world. It is also their forbearance towards the audience, defined as the world external to the object itself and the environment in which it will live its own life. It is, finally, the readiness for, the trust and understanding that the viewer bestows on the author and their work.”
The Gallery of Art in Legnica (the host of the Jewellery Festival SILVER) is inviting you to visit Legnica for the grand opening in May 10-11, 2024. No doubt we are looking forward to an unforgettable 'silver' spring!
