Day two began with a visit to the studio of
Helen Britton, David Bielander and Yutaka Minegeishi. They have a wonderful
space, there are five sections: a small kitchenette/library area, a mini
‘workshop’ area with their larger tools, then three equal studio spaces for
Britton, Bielander and Minegeishi. As David was still at the fair, we were
hosted by Helen and Yutaka who graciously spent time with us discussing their
work and answering questions.
Britton’s studio is perhaps not unlike many
jewellers who use found objects in their work – she seems to have endless draws
of things. However her meticulous and strategic ordering perhaps sets her
apart. She spoke to us about her ‘materials archive’, which holds samples of
objects, often beads, which she finds interesting and she believes should be
saved – not necessarily things she will use in her work. Her materials archive
speaks volumes about Britton’s drive to research the histories of her
materials: their manufacturing processes and origins, each bead she has
collected takes on new gravitas when understood as a relic of a very specific
(and often now long gone) time, place and community. Next she spoke of her
personal archive of her work. She showed us that she keeps a sample (at times
around three pieces) of work from each collection she makes. Britton seems to
have had a great deal of confidence and foresight from an early stage in her
career, I would anticipate that an artist would be keen to sell any works, and
that the ones which would sell quickly might be the more ‘successful’ or
‘stronger’ pieces. However Britton has attempted to keep at least one or two of
the prime pieces of each collection for her own archive, ensuring that she has
control over optimal examples of each new development in her practice. What has
now accumulated is certainly a formidable collection, which not only now holds
great financial value, but also acts as an archival resource for Britton to
reflect on her practice and continue to critique and examine her own work.
Yutaka Minegeishi’s space was comparatively
sparse. Perhaps this is a reflection of his current practice. Minegeishi
explained that his practice has evolved throughout his career to become
reductive. Rather than ‘making’ an object, he is ‘finding’ it from within
materials. He spoke of his materials, forms and general practice becoming more
and more ‘simple’. Leading him to his current exploration of the ancient
materials, mammoth tusk and jet. Whist Minegeishi did speak of the relationship
between age, rarity and preciousness, a discussion of negative environmental
impacts from his materials’ excavation and trade were avoided. Adjacent to
Minegeishi’s space stood a tall glass cabinate, which appeared at first glance
to be another person’s display, given how filled it was with small and curious
objects. Minegeishi quickly explained that he holds a keen interest in very
small objects, and avidly collects them and other curiosities. He spoke of this
collecting as a kind of unconscious research. Minegeishi supposed that he
learns a great deal from visually examining the objects he finds and collects,
concluding that this visual research probably manifests in the forms he
develops from his raw and precious materials, but underscoring that this
research and it’s impacts were decidedly unconscious.
After the studio visit we were free to
wonder.
Many of us were preparing for a big day of
gallery hopping. This ‘Schmuck’ event, which amazingly happens once a year,
draws so many adjacent exhibitions of contemporary jewellery that it is (I
would argue definitely) impossible to see them all, and certainly not in one
day. What luxury!!
In the end we saw six shows in the
afternoon: ‘Schmuck/Objekte/Video’ with emerging jewellers Martin Papcùn, Merlin Klein, Pedro Sequeira & Junwon Jung; Mythen/Myths 2015 an
exhibition of Greek contemporary jewellers at Galerie Weitraum; Schmuck-Objekte-Seezeichen
a small group show at Berline Fenster; Nicole Schuster at Almstadt Schmuck;
Tabea Reuecke and Dani Schwaag at Schmuckgalerie; and Objection at the BCA
Friday Gallery.
While all were enjoyable, the stand out exhibition
of the day for me was Schmuck/Objekte/Video at the Kunstarkaden
Ein Kunstraum der Stadt München. Each emerging artist inhabited their own space
in the slightly underground concrete halls. The installation seemed bare and
restrained, the rooms became cavernous as each work was displayed off the walls
on various plinths, structures or laid on the ground. The vacuum of space
created an aura of quiet and focus around each body of work. I found the work
itself incredibly interesting. The process focused, varied material,
investigations my Sequeira were a sharp contrast to the refined archetypal
forms of Jung’s hidden jewellery. Jung’s pieces each revealed their attachments
with various hidden tricks and mechanisms that surprised and entertained his
audiences, provoking, I think, similar emotional responses to the surprises of
Nhat-Vu Dang cardboard kinetic jewellery. Papcùn rough architectural structures
reminded me of Melbourne artist Christopher Earl Milbourne, though perhaps the
works by Papcùn were even more reduced, powerfully stark in their absences.
Klein’s abstractions were reductive in a different way, made from the ashes of
precious things Klein’s objects were darkness, loss, violence and destruction
incarnate. The stillness of the pieces was given an electric energy by their
suspension several feet off the ground. Their placement seemed to occupy human
spaces within the room, adding to their ominous quality.
It was a great exhibition to walk in to. I walked out feeling full, head
to toe, with a strange energy, new ideas has been opened up in front of me. Such
a great feeling and the reason I still get so much of a buzz experiencing art.
We ended the night heading to the Lost
Weekend bookstore for the Current Obsession Launch. We were there pretty early
and very tired so we didn’t do much mingling. A pity but we would make more of opportunities
in the coming days.
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