EXPO ‘Is it Legal?’ – Gallery Four, Göteborg (SE) – 15 Mai-15 Juin 2015

« Is it Legal? » Increasing Value  Lauren Tickle solo show

Opening: Friday, May 15th 17.00-21.00

The exhibition runs until June15th

***

Lauren Tickle  « Is it Legal? » brooch 2015

Lauren Tickle newest piece for my upcoming solo show « Is it Legal? » at gallery Four.

« I first began exploring the subject matter of « value » by wearing U.S. dollar bills in public to question the value we place on material objects. A man told me I would be kidnapped because my one-dollar bills would be mistaken for hundreds; meanwhile, the women on either side of me carried handbags worth thousands. Why did my worn currency prompt such alarm in this bystander, while the unmistakable signal of wealth that is a luxury handbag did not?
I wanted to return to the streets to gain further insight into my objects’ multi-faceted meanings. I don’t approach my chosen medium any differently from how I would approach any other. The same way different metals and stones have unique properties that can be used to artistic effect, so does currency. The medium I use to construct works of art cannot be separated from its social constructs or from the personal experiences each viewer already has with money. This is why my work provokes questions about perceived value, inherent value, and social class.
To explore the question of what it means to wear money, I gave seven brooches from the Increasing Value series to seven individuals. They were tasked with wearing them in their varied everyday lives, and recording their reflections and the reactions and comments of others. What did the works mean?
This exhibition pairs their investigations with my ongoing formal study of Increasing Value as I find new ways to push a dollar bill’s filigrees into new graphic designs and forms. We see a new side of the works, the personal nature, where the interactions are defined by the “wit of the wearer” as much as the objects themselves. We see reflection and interaction on wearable art. We see the strength of the medium’s iconic design. Why have I altered an idol? Is it frivolous? Is it legal? »

The American artist Lauren Tickle is one of the rising stars on the international jewellery scene. In 2014 she was awarded the Talente Special Prize, one of the most prestigious prizes for emerging jewellery artists. The pieces are detailed and show the patience and skilled craft behind her jewellery. Captivating patterns containing thoughts about value, labour and time.

Lauren Tickle  « Is it Legal? »  brooch 2015

Lauren Tickle  « Is it Legal? » brooch 2015

Lauren Tickle  « Is it Legal? » neckpiece 2015

Lauren Tickle  « IS IT LEGAL?  ‬ Photo Credit John Donnelly

 

Four

Nordhemsgatan 74,

Göteborg (Sweden)

[phone]