Gone Astray – Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Germany

Gone Astray – Jewellery and utensils on the fringe of reason in contemporary gold- and silversmithing

Where does usefulness end, and where does experimenting far beyond functionality begin? After all, it’s not a new thing any more that some contemporary gold- and silversmiths question the classical canon of their respective genre, as well as their historical roots and traditions, creating wildly unusual things that violate taboos of their trade and bear witness to disobedience and to breaking rules. »They unhinge golden rules and challenge or satirise aesthetic norms, transmuting jewellery, utensils and other objects into paraphrases of their craft,« explains the curator Ellen Maurer Zilioli. These trends are accompanied by social, cultural and political criticism. The show will be spotlighting jewellery, utensils and other objects created by 29 artists who question conventional perspectives.

They all work in an in-between space that allows intercultural links to be created. Their objects and inventive forms and shapes can be located on this fine line where definitions and traditional concepts serve as the foundation for highly intelligent, complex thinking about utensils, vessels and jewellery, but at the same time are always being abandoned or modified.

The exhibition will also be on view at the CODA Museum in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, from 19 May through 22 September 2024.