Touch–sensitive in Vilnius
The exhibition narrates the stories of people, their jewellery and the creators of the adornment. The exhibition “Touch–sensitive” takes its idea from the word “touch” describing the nature of jewellery – to be in contact with people.
Contact is both physical and spiritual. It is a delicate exchange of energy between people. Each adornment is a unique story which reflects the experience and emotions of its creator during the process of its genesis – from the idea to its realisation, but there comes a moment when it meets its new owner and then the story is told by its wearer.
The exhibition features jewellery collections created by twenty–three artists from the Latvian Jewellery Art Association, with portraits of the models selected by each artist. The artists have made jewellery for doctors, diplomats, philologists, painters, teachers, students, themselves, their relatives and colleagues. In addition to the colourful stories, the owners of the jewellery have also expressed their thoughts and feelings by answering the questions posed by the artists. These audios recorded responses open engaging, often unexpected, perspectives on the relationship between jewellery and its wearers, reflecting so many different aspects of their personalities. The exhibition space becomes saturated with voices that were previously less familiar, unknown or silent. Part of these insights are published in the exhibition catalogue. Through this intricate set of expressive media, the exhibition offers the opportunity to discover or experience once again the enchanting power of jewellery, to discover it in its traditional, modern and novel forms, in all its diverse materials and techniques.
The exhibition “Touch–sensitive” has been on view at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga (Latvian National Museum of Art) in Spring 2024. It has been a good example of the fruitful cooperation between artists and the museum, and we have the great honour to receive the Latvian Public Media Annual Award: A Kilogram of Culture 2024 for the exhibition. Now, in Spring 2025, the Lithuanian audience will have a chance to get to know more about contemporary jewellery art in Latvia. We would like to thank the colleagues from the Lithuanian National Museum of Art for the opportunity to show the exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts and Design in Vilnius.
Curators: Ginta Grūbe, Zane Vilka, Latvian Jewellery Art Association
Scenography: Ilze Ķēniņa, Uldis Timoško
Photographer: Mārtiņš Cīrulis
Sound installation: Pēteris Pass
Graphic design: Eltons Kūns
Exhibition team, Museum of Decorative Arts and Design:
Inese Baranovska, Līga Brice, Modris Esserts, Līva Kubulniece, Dace Ļaviņa
Artists: Māris Auniņš, Jānis Brants, Valdis Brože, Vladislavs Čistjakovs, Anna Fanigina, Aleksandra Federika Krastiņa, Ginta Grūbe, Andris Lauders, Guntis Lauders, Una Mikuda, Rasma Pušpure, Pēteris Ripa, Mārīte Rudzāte, Anita Savicka, Laura Selecka, Gints Strēlis, Jelizaveta Suska, Daria Svirel, Māris Šustiņš, Paula Treimane, Zane Vilka, Jānis Vilks, Maija Vītola-Zitmane.