March 16, 2015 (Monday) – Tabea Reulecke

I kept hearing the name Tabea from our lecturer, Karin Findeis prior to this day, and I was so happy to make it to her exhibition with Danni Schwaag at Schmuckgalerie tal20 on its last day after visiting few galleries that were closed (but supposed to be open). I really loved the series of rabbit jewellery she had on display simply because of my fascination with rabbits.

I have a Netherlands dwarf rabbit named Snowy, and he does some of the movements captured in Tabea’s pieces. Last year, I started representing Snowy in my technical samples, and would love to make a body of work for him – not necessarily conceptual in nature but perhaps as a form of commemoration or a way of telling the stories of his fluffy, everyday life.

There are other jewellers who use animals as their inspirations but I like Tabea’s simple representation of their beauty and gentleness. I also like how she set her works in prongs; somehow giving them the value of a precious material. Maybe the portrayal of rabbits and even tigers is purely aesthetic or maybe there is a story behind it, and I look forward to asking Tabea Reulecke when we visit their University of Applied Sciences campus in Idar-Oberstein in 3 days.

Top Left to Bottom Right: Tabea Reulecke, Rabbit, Ring. Silver

Tabea Reulecke, Presumption of Innocence, Necklace, 2011. Enamel, copper, silver

Tabea Reulecke, To Pull a Rabbit Out of a Hat, Necklace, 2011. Enamel, copper, silver, gold leaf

Tabea Reulecke, Pastime with Good Company, Necklace, 2011. Enamel, copper, silver