EXPO ‘Jantje Fleischhut: How Long is Now’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL) – 1er Nov.-20 Dec. 2014

Jantje Fleischhut: How Long is Now

At the exhibited works her point of departure is the innumerable lumps of stone and clouds of rubble that silently speed through the infinite universe. Shapes emerged of which the weight, structure, colour and surface are as surprising and associative as the cosmic rocks they refer to. The new work fits naturally in the the oeuvre of the artist and it is also an interesting new development.

Opening: 1st  November 2014 from 17 to 19 h

 Jantje Fleischhut Brooch: Untitled, 2014 Sponge, Resin, Cooperbronze, Silver, Nylon

Ever since time began, man looked at the firmament in bewilderment. It was the genesis of religions, mythology, literature and many works of art. No matter how many mysteries science unraveled during the past century, the amazement only increased. Some celestial bodies were only clouds of debris, while others are extremely volcanic and look different each year; one of Neptune’s moons has gales blowing at nearly the speed of sound, and on neutron-stars one millimetre of matter might weigh 500 billion kilo’s. Can anything be more inspirational?
In the past the heavens often provided Jantje Fleischhut with a creative incentive. Now her point of departure were the innumerable lumps of stone and clouds of rubble that silently speed through the infinite universe. She began to make a kind of asteroids from the most unlikely materials. Shapes emerged of which the weight, structure, colour and surface are as surprising and associative as the cosmic rocks they refer to. Fleischhut combined these elements into small compositions. They are not meant to suggest an explosive collision, but rather to call forth the overwhelming dynamics of the universe. Sometimes she added abstract shapes to suggest celestial orbits. Her refined sensitivity for colours, both with the individual parts as in their combinations, gave each piece of jewellery its distinct expressiveness.

The new work fits naturally in the the oeuvre of the artist, but it is also an interesting new development. As we have little to tell about the sign of the Zodiac under which we are born, it is wonderful that Jantje Fleischhut provides us with the option to make our own choice. Ward Schrijver  (© Galerie Rob Koudijs)

Jantje Fleischhut Brooch: Untitled, 2014 Aluminum, Silver, Resin, Ytong, Quartz

 

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EXPO ‘MELANIE ISVERDING : Tiptoe on Clouds’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL) – 13 Sept.-25 Oct. 2014

MELANIE ISVERDING : Tiptoe on Clouds

 

There is something about the jewellery pieces of Melanie Isverding. They pose many questions. Are the big, clear-cut shapes only referring to themselves, or to something beyond the piece itself, like some sort of scale models? Does the familiar vernacular of the goldsmith still have any eloquence nowadays? What remains of the trditional concept of value in contemporary jewellery: the precious stones and pearls used in Isverding’s work have been pulverized, they retain their colours and sparkle, but lose their conventional shape and economic value. And perhaps the most important question of all: why would you wear such a piece of jewellery?

Even though you’re not instantly aware of it, Isverding touches in her work upon many fundamental issues. The only aspect that is beyond discussion is the level of perfection she strives for. Her work is made with the utmost care: all surfaces, every connection, each joint, both front- and backside: all details get the same meticulous attention. This is what craft can mean in this day and age, without referring to classic models or shrinking from the use of computer drawings or the occasional application – when beneficial – of industrial methods like lasercutting.

Every piece in the exhibition has the same title: Cavea (followed by a consecutive number). So still more questions, for it is a elusive notion. The word refers to a hollow space: perhaps best described in this case as the receptor of our imagination; but there must be more to it. Is this Cavea based on seedpods, or is it a kind of cage or a show-box? And then, what might be the intention behind the element that the perforated parts are connected to or hanging from? Is the work about inside or outside, protecting or exposing, observing or being watched, theater or intimacy?

That Isverding’s pieces are so convincing is for a substancial part due to the fact that they remain an enigma. It is also the reason why it is rewarding to relate to them and to wear them: it is challenging work. Made up from straight forward, univocal shapes, every piece seems a paragon of rationality and lucidity. Yet, there are always seeds of doubt, due to the juxtaposition of the elements, their reciprocal proportions, and seemingly irrational additions. It’s a justified doubt, for Isverding considers her work to be a place filled with longing, expectations and memories. She invites you to conscientiously enter an elusive world; as if you’re allowed to walk tiptoe on the clouds… Ward Schrijver  (© Galerie Rob Koudijs)

 Melanie Isverding -brooch (back) cavea 36 – 2014 -silver, enamel, hematite, pearls, glimmer, lacquer

Melanie Isverding – brooch cavea 35 – 2014 - silver, enamel, azurite, glimmer, lacquer

Melanie Isverding - brooch cavea 35 (back) – 2014 – silver, enamel, azurite, glimmer, lacquer

Melanie Isverding Necklace: Cavea 38, 2014 Silver, enamel, crushed pyrite and smoky quartz, lacquer 32 x 15 x 2 cm

Melanie Isverding Brooch: Cavea 29, 2014 Silver, enamel, crushed hematite, glimmer, lacquer, string 12 x 9 x 1 cm

 

 

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EXPO ‘Pattern Magic’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL) – 21 Juin- 2 Sept. 2014

Ralph Bakker Jewellery -  Pattern Magic.

Opening at midsummer evening at Galerie Rob Koudijs
21-06-2014/02-09-2014
Saturday the 21st of June the exhibition of RALPH BAKKER will open at Galerie Rob Koudijs.

« Gold glows as if it emits light; the subtle colours of translucent enamels enrich the silver underneath. In his new work Ralph Bakker once again added new inventions to the age-old repertoire of the goldsmith. Even simple components such as the connecting rings which give a piece of jewellery its coherence and flexibility, are granted a contribution of their own. They may be united into clusters, or grace the flat surfaces of a necklace like the notes Bach wrote to a musical theme.
This time the folding of material has played an important role in developing the new work. Everybody knows the effect that a fold in a sheet of paper gives it a certain strength, Bakker applied this to thinly rolled out metal. By using folding as a visual means, he made necklaces and a bracelet that are both light to wear and sculptural in effect
As the title of the exhibition already indicates, Ralph Bakker has a great love for patterns. He gets intrigued by natures surface structures and systems of growing, and these designs may easily leave their traces in his work. In spite of their mathematical arrangements the resulting jewellery is surprisingly flexible when you pick them up. Actually that is only natural for an artist who’s pieces are always developed with the wearer in mind. Bakker is a maker of whom it is really true that his work reaches its completion when it is actually worn.«  Ward Schrijver  (© Galerie Rob Koudijs)

 

Ralph  Bakker – PatternMagic 2 – Brooch 2014 – gold tantalum – Photo Michael Anhalt

Ralph  Bakker necklace « white double lamel » – gold, silver, enamel

 

Ralph Bakker - N.T. Ring 1991 gold - Photo Michael Anhalt

Ralph Bakker  necklace 2014 – 1089  – gold, silver, enamel

Ralph  Bakker – brooch 2014 – Pattern Magic 1  – gold, silver, enamel – detail

 Ralph  Bakker -bracelet 2014 – nt  – argentium

Ralph  Bakker necklace 2014 – Magic  – gold, silver, niello, gold leaf

 

 

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EXPO ‘Between Past and Present – Francis Willemstijn’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL) – 19 Avril-31 Mai 2014

Francis Willemstijn  Working, working, working. Next solo exhibition opening April 19th at

Galerie Rob Koudijs in Amsterdam.  : 19 04-31 05 2014 FRANCIS WILLEMSTIJN « Between Past and Present »

« With this special exhibition Francis Willemstijn celebrates the fact that she has been working as an artist for ten years. During all this time she had many idea’s that were never carried out and the present show was the right occasion to catch up on them. Of course it didn’t turn into a reassuring sentimental journey, conveniently following trodden paths: a decade of experience gave her wings and the necessary command and daring. Willemstijn’s connection with history manifests itself again by deploying the handwriting of the founder of the Dutch Republic William of Orange, and in excerpts from old maps of Amsterdam or the Netherlands. These references shouldn’t be considered as a nostalgic longing for the past, as is made clear in the title of the brooch ‘The streets we walked’. The present also exists in the fragments of plants and leaves from Willemstijns own garden. For notwithstanding the importance of art and tradition, it is essential that, to quote Candide, we must cultivate our garden.In her execution Willemstijn is wayward and expressive as always. Archaic materials like bog wood and oak provide contexts, red coral glows, and jet and garnets contribute their dark glitter; traditional cloth from the Dutch island of Marken contribute a human angle, as does the incidental use of human hair. The associative power of all these elements enrich the eloquence of the shapes and citations that make up the work.Francis Willemstijn breathed exciting new life into existing concepts, and achieved an atmosphere of rich tradition in her new designs. In this way she made herself a self portrait in touch with the past and rooted in the present.«  Ward Schrijver, 2014

Francis Willemstijn -  Working on new solo exhibition « Between Past and Present »

Francis Willemstijn – Necklace The Battle, 2014 -  Gold, new silver, linen, cotton

Francis Willemstijn – Necklace « Mastkraal », 2014 – new silver, garnets, jet, pine, bog oak, brass

Francis Willemstijn – Necklace « Mastkraal », 2014 – new silver, garnets, jet, pine, bog oak, brass

Francis Willemstijn - Necklace « back to black », 2014 -  silver, bog oak, onyx

Francis Willemstijn – Necklace « The streets we walked » , 2014 | silver, new silver, hematite

 

GALERIE ROB KOUDIJS
Elandsgracht 12
1016 TV Amsterdam
Netherlands
www.galerierobkoudijs.nl

EXPO ‘BEPPE KESSLER Stones and Notes’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL) – 19 Avril-31 Mai 2014

BEPPE KESSLER
Stones and Notes

Galerie Rob Koudijs -    19 04 2014 – 31 05 2014 – FrontRoom: BEPPE KESSLER

« Beppe Kessler is not interested in pigeonholing. She was trained as a textile designer and actually did create fabrics and carpets, but she is just as passionate about working on her paintings and has been making jewellery for many years. In the 1980s she was part of the jewellery revolution in The Netherlands and produced beautiful bracelets and necklaces using rubber bands, plastic wesh and spinnaker cloth. In later years she often used balsa wood and textiles. All these activities are connected by Kessler’s infinite curiosity about the characteristics of materials and the, often surprising, results of processing them.
As her introduction in the gallery, Kessler shows pieces from the last two, three years, that testify to her inquisitive, inquiring mind. Also another, extremely important aspect of her work manifests itself in the exhibition: she is an artist who mananges to grant her pieces a poetic quality without having to refer to anecdotes and references.
During an artist-in-residency in the German town of Idar-Oberstein, Kessler researched the possibilities of polishing gemstones: natural erosion processes particularly interested her. For isn’t it a fascinating fact that during polishing the pursuit of beauty coincide with destruction and loss? The polishing process became an important aspect in the making of the jewellery in the show. In some pieces perspex was fitted with irregular facets and combined with fragments taken from CD’s, in a few of the recent works the perspex was polished into clear windows framing imaginairy landscapes.
In her jewellery Beppe Kessler manages to combine craft with eloquence and the sensorial with the poetic. »  Ward Schrijver
(© Galerie Rob Koudijs) 

 Beppe Kessler brooch 2014  – « Watermusic  » alpaca, wood, vinyl, cd, acrylic fibre Beppe Kessler brooch 2014 Trio Sonata alpaca, wood, vinyl, cd, acrylic fibre Beppe Kessler brooch 2012 Partita’s gold, ivory, vinyl, wood Beppe Kessler brooch 2014 Minuet alpaca, wood, vinyl, cd, acrylic fibre

 

 

GALERIE ROB KOUDIJS
Elandsgracht 12
1016 TV Amsterdam
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EXPO ‘Anya Kivarkis: September Issue’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL)- 1er Mars-12 Avril 2014

Galerie Rob Koudijs -  01 03 2014 – 12 04 2014  – FrontRoom: Anya Kivarkis: September Issue

 

« In the fall of 2007, in the middle of a global financial crisis, Vogue Magazine published its thickest issue ever. It also became their most infamous edition because of the blatant display of wealth and success. The best case in point being the spread dedicated to jewellery called ‘Paris je t’aime’, situated, remarkably enough, in the Roaring Twenties, a period of sustained economic prosperity. In times of recession, the history of material culture suggests that we surround ourselves with luxury goods and images of progress, in order to subconsciously conceal the underlying decline. Anya Kivarkis is fascinated by the use of jewellery in ways beyond the decorative purpose. The jewellery pieces in Vogue’s 2007 September issue are a striking example.
Kivarkis based her new work on this publication. But what to do when you are a jewellery artist and you don’t want your pieces to radiate the usual message of power and opulence? She decided to impair their conventional perfection and to neutralize their material value. Initially she finished her jewellery in paper white auto paint, nowadays she renders gold and precious stones in inert, dull silver. Furthermore she subverts the design process by relinquishing on developing her own models, and in stead appropriating historic design sketches and jewellery seen in photographs. In this way she commented some years ago upon the borrowed splendour on the red carpet at the Academy Awards. In her new exhibition she deals with the feigned illusions from 2007.
Kivarkis did not make these pieces of jewellery as the next symbol of shrouded longing, for she gave them a fresh and ambigious meaning. Let’s interpret them as a hopeful sign that an era has come to a close and that the sedation of glamour can give way to a new self-assured, critical point of view.  » Ward Schrijver  (© Galerie Rob Koudijs)

Anya Kivarkis, ‘Diamonds upon diamonds 201′ ring – silverAnya Kivarkis – Brooch: Diamonds upon diamonds, 2014 – Silver

Anya Kivarkis – Brooch: September Issue, 2014 – Silver

Anya Kivarkis – Earrings: September Issue, 2014 – Silver

 

 

GALERIE ROB KOUDIJS
Elandsgracht 12
1016 TV Amsterdam
Netherlands
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EXPO ‘Jiro Kamata : Bi’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL) – 1er Mars-12 Avril 2014

JIRO KAMATA   Bi

Opening reception is on 1st March at 17.00h

pendants BI – 2013 – silver, dichroic mirror

« For many years Jiro Kamata made the most beautiful pieces of jewellery relying on authentic camera lenses. He now abandoned the anecdotical side of these objects, but his love for glass, reflections and photography remained all-important for his inspiration. In his design he kept to a minimalistic approach, and based on these preferences he manages to turn an idea into a jewellery piece.
If an artist is looking for the essence in his work, the starting point becomes ever more crucial. Kamata’s primary concern is deciding on his working material. He must be intrigued in such a way that his imagiation starts to spark; after that, the material will lead the way. This happened this time when he discovered dichroic mirror, which is glass with a special technical finish that reflects only two colours, eliminating all others. It produces remarkably clear, yet surprising reflections. Caught in just a simple, forged silver setting the artist managed to capture the alluring effect of free floating soapbubbles.
The brooches in the exhibition are more complex. They are made up from several layers of glass and foil which are visually interacting. Kamata based his designs on something called the bokeh-effect, derived from the Japanese word ‘boke’, which means ‘blur’ or ‘haze’. We know it as the almost downy, often colourful circles visible in photographs when the lens renders out-of-focus points of light. These pieces of jewellery emphasize the importance of looking at the actual object: only then can the refined play of light be experienced. The title of the exhibition ‘Bi’ refers not only to the two colours reflected or the two layers of glass encased in the brooches, but also to reality as we know it and the fairytale world summoned in the jewellery. » Ward Schrijver  (© Galerie Rob Koudijs)

Jiro Kamata – necklace 2013  Bi  – silver, dichroic mirror

Jiro Kamata - brooch 2014 -  Bi b05  - silver, dichroic mirror, foil

Jiro Kamata - brooch 2014  - Bi b03 – silver, dichroic mirror, foil

 

 

 

GALERIE ROB KOUDIJS
Elandsgracht 12
1016 TV Amsterdam
Netherlands
www.galerierobkoudijs.nl

EXPO ‘Hybrids’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam (NL) – 11 janv.-22 fevr. 2014

Upcoming exhibition « Hybrids » at Galerie Rob Koudijs.

Next to that I proudly present my new website: www.katjaprins.com (with special thanks to Francis Willemstijn) with a sneak peak of my new work. Hope to see you the 11th in Amsterdam !

« For centuries artists have tried to define the human form by using circles, squares, planes and lines. Da Vinci’s Vetruvius Man or Rietveld’s chairs are known the world over. But the body defies such abstractions, it rather should be looked at as an alternating landscape with sloping transitions and undulating contours determined by the muscles. It is only when a designer explicitly intends to follow or support the body, that other shapes emerge. Clothes or corsets are clear examples, as are the wooden leg brace and fiberglass armchair shell designed by the Eames. It is at such occasions that Katja Prins starts to pay attention: when objects aren’t just beautiful, but also testify to exploration, functionality and adventure.
To prepare for her new collection of jewellery Prins looked for ways to translate visual associations connected with the human body to a smaller size. Using an artificial material produced for medical purposes, she managed to develop three dimentional shapes that are expressive, without becoming to obvious. They were supplemented with abstract elements, hammered from brass and subsequently polished and chomium-plated.
Prins isn’t only fascinated by shapes related to the human frame, but also by the fact that nowadays man can actually intervene in the body. And so she incorporated fragments of medical instruments into her new work. In this way she made jewellery pieces that celebrate an often neglected beauty of the body, in relation with the efforts people make for its perpetuation.
Does Prins jewellery result in merely sweeted temptations? Confronted with the work, most people initially are reserved: the cool, shiny chomium and a reminder of doctors implements create a distance. Yet, instead of suspicion, a different reaction would be more appropiate: astonishment about ourselves and our many, sometimes puzzling accomplishments.  » (Ward Schrijver, art historian and architect, Amsterdam, NL)

necklace Hybrid 17, 2014 -chrome plated brass, dental resin – length 300 mm

- Photography: Merlijn Snitker

brooch Hybrid 04, 2014 – chrome plated brass, dental resin – 65x90x55mm – Photo: Merlijn Snitker

brooch Hybrid 01, 2014 – chrome plated brass, dental resin – 75x50x30mm – Photo: Merlijn Snitker

Katja Prins - ring 2014 Hybrid 19 brass chromium-plated, resin

 

GALERIE ROB KOUDIJS
Elandsgracht 12
1016 TV Amsterdam
Netherlands
www.galerierobkoudijs.nl

 

EXPO ‘BENEDIKT FISCHER Monocoque’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs (NL) – 2 Nov.-21 Dec. 2013

BENEDIKT FISCHER  Monocoque

« Our daily life is littered with plastic artifacts. Every inevitable chore is facilitated by mass produced implements. Hardly ever do these objects receive any attention, they’re just there. Benedikt Fischer was fascinated by all of these buckets, bowls and containers. Every culture makes use of the things that can be found locally, and this is also the case with the production of a lot of jewellery. In South America brightly coloured bird feathers are employed and on the islands in the Pacific the extraordinary shells provide the impetus. For Fischer the time had come to process the plastic implements that are characteristic for our Western society.
In his graduation work he already had experienced that it was worth it to invest attention in simple objects. He had cut up plastic hardhats to make beautiful brooches, intended as protective mascots. He enriched their surface by modifying it into a velvety, sometimes prickly-furry skin. Turning his attention to a broader field of utensils, innumerable possibilities opened up. The next stage was deciding on which things to choose and to discover surprising excisions. After that he started experimenting with the treatment of the material. Instead of his earlier subtle approach, he decided to attack the surface with more violence. But this aggression is only a façade, for the numerous new pattern that emerged, all offer regular refined textures.
Fischer’s explorations resulted in a group of necklaces, each one an elegant enigma. He made wearable sculpture, which is not hampered by a lot of weight or heavy theories. They are gestures in space, which give the light every chance to ay with the subtle colours, different textures and sensual curvatures. It is jewellery dedicated to the unknown vplernacular of contemporary utensils; pendants that make plastic precious. » Ward Schrijver  (© Galerie Rob Koudijs)

Benedikt Fischer -  Pendant: Monocoque 06 – 2013 – Plastic, cord

Benedikt Fischer, Pendant, monocoque 02 2013

Benedikt Fischer, Pendant, 2013 monocoque 04

 

 

Galerie Rob Koudijs
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1016 TV – Amsterdam
Netherlands
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EXPO ‘RUUDT PETERS – Qi’ – Galerie Rob Koudijs (NL) – 14 Sept.-26 Oct. 2013

14 09 2013 – 26 10 2013
RUUDT PETERS  Qi

(Ruudt Peters  Brooch: Cheng Zhong De Zhou (Heavy Hand) 2013 Agate, silver)

‘QI’ – RUUDT PETERS PREVIEW : 

« Chinese alchemy is based on the life force Qi, the interaction between body and spirit, the continuation of life. The artist Ruudt Peters wanted to get an understanding of this legacy and left Holland for a journey through China that was to last three months. 

During his travels he visited the terracotta army of emperor Jing Di, comparable with the better known army of China’s first emperor, only with figures half as tall and more damaged by the ravages of time. He was struck by what he saw: the futile efforts to display power and shield a dead ruler. This was the opposite of what had brought Peters to this part of the world. So during his stay at the Chinese European Art Centre in Xiamen, he decided to create a his own army, made from porcelain and based on the Chinese Alchemistic tradition. His starting point was the idealized Chinese acupuncture-man, but he modified him into a model defined by a western lifestyle and the passing of time. Before the figures went into the furnace, he individualized each one by altering surfaces and adding or removing segments and details. Later on in Amsterdam, he attached al sorts of elements made of silver, iron, glass, or horse hair. Peters three months sojourn in China is now symbolized by 99 china men. An army celebrating life. 
Each day during his trip Peters made a blind drawing: a pillow on his lap, drawing pad on top, sketching with eyes closed. They became the logbook of his experiences, of his mental and physical reactions. Gradually human faces started to emerge in the drawings.
Who’s features became visible? Was it someone from the East or the West, or perhaps the alter ego of the artist? Eventually these portraits provided the starting point for a collection of jewellery pieces. Fragments from Peters’ drawings were laser-cut in Xiamen from semi-translucent slices of agate. He assembled them into brooches and necklaces and applied silver lines on both front- and backsides. In doing so, he merged European and Chinese conventions, seeking an interaction between deliberately, and subconsciously made sketches. The outcome is a portrayal of the experiences of a researching, searching artist. » Ward Schrijver  (© Galerie Rob Koudijs) 

 

Galerie Rob Koudijs
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1016 TV – Amsterdam
Netherlands
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