Jewellery Begins Long Before It Is Worn
From 11 to 31 August 2026, Jewellery Parade—an international programme combining a contemporary jewellery exhibition and the IN SITU 2026* summer school—will take place at Needle Factory (Adatu Fabrika) in Kuldīga, Latvia. The exhibition is organised by the Metal Design Specialisation of the Design Department at the Art Academy of Latvia, in collaboration with the Latvian Jewellery Art Association.
The first Jewellery Parade was held in 2024 at Jaunmoku Palace. Conceived as a biennial international event, it brings together a contemporary jewellery exhibition and an international summer school, creating a platform for artistic exchange, education, and dialogue.
This year’s programme focuses on a familiar yet rarely examined object—the jewellery box. It can function as storage, packaging, a display element, or even become an integral part of the jewellery itself. The exhibition reminds us that the story of a piece of jewellery begins long before it is worn—at the moment its context is created and in its very first encounter with the viewer or future wearer.
The exhibition is closely connected to the international contemporary jewellery summer school IN SITU*, which will bring together students and tutors from across Europe from 10 to 20 August. This year’s theme, Out of the Box / Jewellery Box, encourages participants to rethink jewellery beyond the object itself, exploring its context, presentation and spatial relationships. During the workshops, students will develop individual projects using the woodworking facilities at Needle Factory while experimenting with different interpretations of the jewellery box. Alongside the practical workshops, the programme includes lectures, discussions, artist presentations and meetings with the exhibiting artists, creating a platform for professional exchange and international collaboration.
Esther Brinkmann (Switzerland)
The central guest of this year’s exhibition and summer school is Swiss jewellery artist Esther Brinkmann, one of the leading figures in European contemporary jewellery. Founder of the Jewellery Department at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD Genève), she has spent more than four decades expanding the understanding of jewellery as a spatial, performative and conceptual medium. During IN SITU*, Brinkmann will lead the workshop Out of the Box, inviting participants to explore the relationship between jewellery, its container and exhibition display.
Liesbet Bussche (Belgium / The Netherlands)
Belgian artist Liesbet Bussche, who lives and works in the Netherlands, returns to Jewellery Parade after participating in its inaugural edition in 2024. For this year’s exhibition she has created a new work, continuing her ongoing Jewellery Boxes series, in which the jewellery box becomes a complete artwork in its own right, dissolving the boundaries between jewellery, storage and display.
Meeree Lee (South Korea)
South Korean artist Meeree Lee explores the relationship between jewellery and its container. Her works combine jewellery, furniture and sculpture, transforming the jewellery box into an integral part of the artwork itself. The exhibition presents works in which the container becomes a continuation of the jewellery, inviting viewers to reconsider where jewellery truly begins.
Roseanne Bartley (Australia)
Australian jewellery artist Roseanne Bartley explores the relationship between material, language and jewellery. The exhibition features a work from her series A Poetry of Rings, in which rings carved from Australian mulga wood (Acacia aneura) form a unique alphabet. Bartley’s participation in Jewellery Parade is closely connected to this year’s summer school, where wood serves as one of the principal materials of exploration. Working in the woodworking facilities at Needle Factory, participants will investigate the potential of wood within contemporary jewellery practice and explore new ways in which it can become part of jewellery and its wider context.
Ildze Bogana (Latvia)
Latvian jewellery artist Ildze Bogana has created a new work especially for Jewellery Parade. Her artistic practice is characterised by openness to material experimentation and the belief that ideas evolve through the making process itself. This approach resonates closely with the aims of the IN SITU* summer school, where participants are encouraged to discover new forms of expression through hands-on experimentation, material exploration and creative inquiry.
Jewellery Parade reflects the shared commitment of the Latvian Jewellery Art Association and the Art Academy of Latvia to establish a sustainable international platform for contemporary jewellery in the Baltic region, strengthening the relationship between professional artistic practice, education and society.
Jewellery Parade and IN SITU* are organised by the Metal Design Specialisation of the Design Department at the Art Academy of Latvia, in collaboration with the Latvian Jewellery Art Association and Needle Factory (Adatu Fabrika), Kuldīga.
The creative team includes exhibition curator Ginta Grūbe, summer school curator Rasma Pušpure, exhibition architect Modris Svilāns, communications manager and curatorial assistant Una Mikuda, graphic designer Guna Poga, technical workshop manager Arvīds Endziņš Jr., and guest lecturer Maija Rozenfelde.
Exhibition dates: 11–31 August 2026
Venue: Needle Factory (Adatu Fabrika), 4 Kalpaka Street, Kuldīga, Latvia
Opening: 11 August 2026, 5:00 PM
Text: Ginta Grūbe