Don’t Tell Me A Story

“A metallophone is an instrument capable of transforming metal into sound,” explains phD. Jurgita Ludavičienė, the curator of the International Biennial of Jewellery and Metal Art “METALLOphone 2024”. We can read on the event website that the international event is celebrating metal art and jewellery in Lithuania since 2011. The biennial presents the works of participants from different countries and this year it hosts seven Latvian jewellery art association artists as well as one hundred and twenty other jewellery artists from Lithuania and abroad.

Ginta Grube is participating with three pieces, two of them specially made for the exhibition. HEX KEY and No.V (Collection Jeweltool) with iron, silver, aluminium, plastic and rubber. “When I ask myself why am I in the arts and craft world, I often remember a quote by artist and professor Ivars Heinriksons: “Don’t paint if you can.” It states that the creative field is a hostage of the situation. Nobody asks anyone for anything, but one cannot be passive. One is a creator because one is creating,” figures Ginta.

Jelizaveta Suska (Latvian born, living in Sweden) is participating with her brooches from the well recognized collection Frozen Moment: Stardust 1, 8, 2; and North 2, 3. “The brooches are a reflection of my imagination, they have no stories behind them, yet I wish them to evoke a memory or a fantasy in you,” so says the author. She works with polymer, crushed stones, stardust/low micrometeorite %, 14K gold, meteorite Campo del Cielo, steel and titanium.

Marite Rudzate is participating with her master’s thesis project, which she defended with distinction at the Art Academy of Latvia, Design department in 2023. Afterwards she was admitted to the Latvian Jewellery Art association (LJAA) and made another neck piece for her first group show with LJAA. Both works will be on desplay in Vilnius exhibition “METALLOphone 2024”.

Rasma Puspure is participating with her necklace Wesley. From series „For Team Arteles“ made with sterling silver, shungite, onyx, healers’ gold (magnetite with pyrite) and cotton tread. “Stories have to be experienced, allowed to happen. It is for this reason that the jewellery created is an intuitive search through materials that refer to shared experiences with the recipient of the necklace,” she explains.

Una Mikuda presents her works titeled “No story, yet 1; No story, yet 2” made out of silver, pearls, electric wire, flat webbing sling, gold-plated surfaces and heat-shrink tubing. “Have you ever felt that feeling in your head when artwork with a story too deep and too complicated makes your brain tie in the knot? I think that artwork should be readable without any text. It should resonate with you or not. Art it is not only about the concept, but also about the form, material, composition or colour. If the art piece itself makes you feel satisfied, brings you a catharsis-like emotions or the opposite – makes you feel angry and bored? Like the form or the use of material reminds you of something? That is the moment when the story about this artwork is born,” so says the author.

Valdis Broze presents his “Unbroken; Axis turn; The boat of silence” from the “Timeless” series. “Works are composed of watch glasses and black structures. There are no clock hands, there is time and space that matters to us. Appreciate the rhythm and shapes that form by paying more attention to what’s around us. How the environment and people help us create and see a lot of new. Finding your rhythm. It’s different from the one we often live in. Stop for a moment,” Broze invites the audience.

More information: https://www.metalofonas.eu/en/

Opening: October 30, 2024, Museum of Applied Arts and Design (Arsenalo st. 3a, Vilnius, Lithuania).