“IN TIMES OF SOCIAL ILLUSION AND COLLECTIVE DENIAL, I TITLED THIS SHOW AFTER A POWERFUL FABLE THAT EXPOSES THE MECHANISMS OF DECEPTION, VANITY, AND COLLECTIVE CONFORMITY IN HUMAN SOCIETY. THOUGH ANDERSEN'S TALE REMAINS PROFOUNDLY RELEVANT IN CONTEMPORARY DISCUSSIONS OF POWER AND PERCEPTION, I DEDICATE ITS SHADES OF MEANING TO THE DOMAINS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND JEWELLERY.
THE IDEA OF EXHIBITING RINGS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE OFTEN BELIEVED TO HAVE SPECIAL POWERS. THE RING WEARER USUALLY CONNECTS WITH THIS ADORNMENT AT A MORE PROFOUND AND PERSONAL LEVEL MAINLY BECAUSE IT IS ASSUMED TO HAVE TRANSFORMATIVE VIRTUES (E.G. IN TALES IT IS A MAGIC RING THAT CAN MAKE ONE INVISIBLE, OMNIPOTENT, ETC.). BESIDES THAT, SINCE ANCIENT TIMES, RINGS HAVE BEEN A HERITAGE SYMBOL OF EMPERORS, ROYALTY
AND KINSHIP. RINGS AT THIS EXHIBITION ARE FROM VARIOUS COLLECTIONS CREATED OVER THE COURSE OF TIME IN THE LAST THREE YEARS. SOLID AND BOLD, HANDCRAFTED WITH PURPOSE AND CARE, THESE UNIQUE PIECES ARE A TRIBUTE TO ART, JEWELLERY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP BECAUSE THEY EPITOMISE THE TRADITIONAL AND THE CONTEMPORARY. AS A SCULPTOR, I CHOOSE MY METALS PURPOSEFULLY FOR THEIR PROPERTIES AND ARTISTIC SUBSTANCE – ALUMINIUM FOR ITS FEATHER WEIGHT AND COLD SHINE, BRASS FOR ITS WARMTH AND DEPTH, BRONZE FOR ITS RICH PATINA AND ANCESTRAL VALUE. MEANWHILE, FOR ME PERSONALLY, SILVER IN JEWELLERY IS A UBIQUITOUS METAL OF OVERESTIMATED VALUE IN EVERY SENSE.
NEVERTHELESS, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE, ETHICAL AND UNETHICAL EXIST NOT ONLY IN METALSMITHING AND JEWELLERY PRODUCTION BUT ALSO IN THE ARTS. JUST AS IN POLITICS, IN JEWELLERY THERE IS A HIDDEN SPACE THAT REMAINS UNDER THE RADAR THAT IS USED FOR MANIPULATION OF MEANING AND TRADE OF VALUES BECAUSE THE “MASTER” COULD BE A SCHEMER AS WELL. MANY AUTHORS ARE MAKING JEWELLERY THAT IS NOT DURABLE;
THAT FADES OR CHANGES OTHERWISE OVER TIME, CREATING PIECES OF DUBIOUS CHARACTER. “ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD”, ESPECIALLY WHEN GOLD PLATING IS CONCERNED, OR WHEN FAKE DIAMONDS SPEAK. “THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES”, DESPITE ITS AGE, STILL RESONATES WITH MODERN AUDIENCES AS A CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT HONESTY AND PERCEPTION.
ADDITIONALLY,THE SAME GOES FOR VISUAL ART, ITS MARKET, PRICES AND THE WORTH DILEMMA, BECAUSE “SOME ARTWORKS ARE MORE UNIQUE THAN OTHERS”.
“NEW CLOTHES” ARE A HUGE OBSESSION WITH FASHION, ACCESSORIES, TRENDS IN DESIGN OR ART. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS THE MYSTIFICATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND “SELLING THE CRAFT”. PERSONAL PITFALLS AND FAILURES UNDER THE DISGUISE OF PROFESSIONALISM RESULT FROM THE HUMAN TENDENCY TOWARDS SELF-DECEPTION AND FEAR OF SOCIETAL JUDGMENT. OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE JUST ANOTHER SIDE OF THE GUILD TALE COLOURED BY EGO EVAPORATING FROM THE PORES OF THE SO-CALLED CREATIVITY THAT IS, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, BASED ON COPY/PASTE OPTIONS."
- ALEKSANDRA DEDIC
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Aleksandra Dedic is a sculptor and jeweller from Serbia and a co-founder of MachoFema Jewellery brand (2014). She graduated in sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, Serbia, and in visual arts from the Aix-Marseille Université in France. Due to the Italian Academic scholarship, she conducted research in painting at Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti in Turin, Italy. Aleksandra completed a Master's degree in Artistic Production at Facultad de Bellas Artes San Carlos in Valencia, Spain, where she also defended her PhD thesis. Besides that, she had a specialization for professional artists at the glass/clay studio at Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Marseille, France.
With decades of experience working with various materials, Aleksandra is focused on her handcrafted, uniquejewellery pieces. From metal and wood to paper and resin, she freely combines precious stones, 24k gold, and mother-of-pearl to create durable jewellery pieces of contemporary wearable art. Technically speaking,her output also appears where craftsmanship meets sculpture technology. Often, concepts emerge from ideasto redesign and repurpose art, to upcycle items, and to recycle materials. Nowadays, for Aleksandra, it is aprivilege to create manually in this digital world; she uses materials that support ethical metalsmithing and are eco-friendly to build a sustainable brand.
In addition to being a visual artist, she has also worked as an author of creative workshops, art teacher, interpreter, and translator. Besides her hometown, Aleksandra lived and worked in Belgrade, Turin, Strasbourg,Marseille, Graz and Valencia. Her artwork in sculpture, painting and photography has been exhibited in Serbia and abroad at individual and collective exhibitions since 1997. She is an artist at Women United Art Movement and jeweller at Klimt02 Barcelona.
"I am an artist interested in identity and visual diversity, and I have always felt the need to express ideas creatively. Thoughts could be expressed by writing, but it somehow felt more alluring to offer personal opinions and universal truths in the mediums that epitomize real pictures and objects. Therefore, I started creating sculptures and soon began to paint as well. Next, I entered photography as a more instant option for freezing an image in time.
It is the evolution of my jewellery that has created different options, both technically and visually. My piecesoften take on a sculptural quality, reflecting three-dimensional design sensibilities that push the boundaries of traditional jewellery design. The truth is that my background brings a unique perspective to the creation of jewellery that aspires to touch the visual culture. It often results in pieces that are bold, innovative, and sometimes deeply personal. My jewellery is for those who also love and understand visual arts, design, and architecture, as some of my audience cherish these pieces as precious objects, miniature sculptures, reliefs,and paintings.
For me, the traditional idea of specific materials for jewellery making is an outdated cliché. At times, my focus on paper was to accentuate the innovative and experimental approach to jewellery design, and to highlight the potential of unconventional materials. My pieces emerge from my attempts to understand the “matter” itself byworking on it and, even more importantly, with it.
Therefore, this jewellery, crafted from diverse materials, includes refined clear lines and robust and massive free forms. Frequently, it is accompanied by the play of shape, texture, and colour – that is my really joyous experience. Inspired by art and nature, I continue to integrate different aspects of my creativity, authenticity,and practices, all with the aim of offering a unique view of contemporary jewellery and crafts."
