San Antonio, Texas
Curriculum Vitae
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@sparkle_filth
Artist Statement
My work is a response to lived experiences and how they materialize as the need to transform my surroundings into enchanting spaces that articulate the specificities of my identity—something that is ever-evolving. I subvert gendered expectations using vibrant colors and intricate constructions, blurring binaries through layering and experimental metalworking techniques. This process brings clarity and a new visual language, decoding the complexities of the world around me, creating an enigmatic realm, $P4RKL3_FiLTH_CL0UD_NiN3. Here, I explore queer nuances in my gender evolution, integrating fragmented narratives into a cohesive identity through imaginative characters and storytelling. The ongoing reevaluation of the objects I create and their stories allows me to inhabit my self-made reality. I weave these narratives into this realm’s fabric, creating a space for deconstructing and reconstructing myself.
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Artist Statement
"Colors embed themselves in our memory, becoming timeless; they may never fade. They guide me back to remembrance.
The interplay of light and color prompts me to pause, consciously preserving the moment's feeling and hoping to revisit it. Memories spotlight moments that captivated attention, each holding unique qualities: jacaranda trees blooming, casting lilac hues on the city, late afternoon sunlight filtering through leaves; a morning by the mangrove, an orange-yellow canoe contrasting with dark canals; a cityscape painted with bright blue skies, construction sites, and vibrant graffiti.
The colors and light quality in memories lend texture, suspended in time."
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Las Cruces, New Mexico
Curriculum Vitae
Contact Julia
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Artist Statement
Decoration of the body with floral forms is an ancient practice and speaks in these works to how we are part of and yet different from nature. Our biology is part of this world we inhabit, yet the artifacts and structures we create set us apart, at least in our perceptions. Trace elements of human form remain in these odd flowers, sliced, separated, residual imagery from a human.
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Jackson Heights, New York
Curriculum Vitae
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@instakatecusack
Website
Artist Statement
I create innovative, elegant jewelry from zippers. Because the zipper’s metal teeth are attached to a fabric edge, it is a material that is both rigid and flexible. I enjoy the contrast between the zipper’s harsh metal teeth and the fluid, whimsical shapes that I can create with it. Each piece is stitched together, either by hand or by sewing machine or using a combination of both techniques. In fashion and costume design, the zipper is often looked down upon as a utilitarian fastener and is not seen as a feature. My Zipper Jewelry is made from this seemingly mundane material, which I transform into unique creations. Through my jewelry, I remind viewers about the power of imagination and the joy of discovering a new view of something that would have otherwise been overlooked. There is an exciting “a-ha” moment when someone realizes that there is more to my designs than they initially expected.
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Artist Statement
Motoko Furuhashi’s work is a result of an investigation in global locations that highlight the significance of a site by elevating and de-contextualizing materials that would otherwise not be recognized. She identifies a site by its origin, history, geological and geographical analysis. She then collects segments from the streets to show physical evidence of the passage of time and specificity of a location with clear packing tape. Motoko imagines these particles as a precious piece of evidence that recall the nostalgia or history of the specific place.
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
Curriculum Vitae
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@fabiana_gadano
Website
Artist Statement
I intentionally utilize the materials that I have available around, particularly those with significant environmental implications. Plastic bottles, ubiquitous in our consumer-driven society, raise critical issues about their ultimate fate. Some are recycled, but far too many pollute our rivers and oceans, eventually breaking down into micro-particles that permeate even our biological systems. I confront this issue head-on by transforming discarded PET plastic bottles into unique jewelry. By repurposing plastic waste into wearable art, I challenge prevailing notions of transience and elevate the discarded into objects of significance. This transformation grants the material a newfound dignity as its lifespan is extended far beyond its initial purpose. Jewelry being worn on the body is a proposition for communication. It might serve as a tangible reminder of our shared responsibility to the planet. As individuals adorn themselves with my creations, they become active participants in the conversation about environmental stewardship.
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Waxhaw, North Carolina
Curriculum Vitae
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@reneehollidayjewelry
Artist Statement
Experimentation and play are at the center of this body of work. Tangrams, Perler Beads, and the ever-lowly string are a few of the items that aid in a child’s development. The brightly colored toys and tools of learning serve to elicit wonder, exploration, and growth. Under the innocence of youth, we are encouraged to make mistakes and play, however, during the transition into adulthood it often takes a back seat to responsibility and societal expectations. In choosing these materials, not only do I seek to question the value of the traditional gold and silver as materials for jewelry, but I also seek to reconnect with play as an adult through colorful, fun, and exuberant objects. Things treasured as a child embrace a new significance when worn as an adult. My hope is that the wearer is reconnected to a younger, more innocent version of themselves.
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Huixquilucan, Mexico
Curriculum Vitae
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@lorenalazard
Artist Statement
Through this body of work, I try to reflect on the path I must travel from chaos to order, in search for the equilibrium in my life. Working with soil is an act full of symbolism and meaning. Soil stores memories, it gives me a sense of identity and belonging. It helps me understand who I am as an individual and as a member of a group, to which god I pray, what I think and feel, how I understand the world, where I come from, what I believe in, and where I want to go. Through soil, as a metaphor of the substance we humans were created from, I try to understand the meaning of my existence.
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Artist Statement
Working principally as a contemporary jeweler, I look at the world through the lens of adornment and decoration. From this perspective, I can approach all objects as bodies and view their outermost, decorative layer as adornment. My making has been concerned with the physical relationships of human bodies to objects and architectural spaces as evidenced by material changes that occur over time. I see this as a progression of my long-held interest in the objects we hold on to. The ones we use to communicate who we are and that continue to act as a monument to our existence when we are gone. The pieces included in this exhibition are shaped to resemble discarded paper paraphernalia, translated into sheet metal and coated with powder coat and the durable enamel paints I used to paint figurines in my childhood. As I work slowly through the process of bending and painting each one, I find ways for form and color to connect with my memories and experiences, which likely remain inscrutable without text or conversation, but hopefully solicits connection. While making the brooches in this group, I was thinking about anxiety and getting tongue-tied or choked-up so I tried to put a knot in my sheet metal. I didn’t associate this piece with the “pussybow” until I finished making it and decided to place it at the throat. That word, meant for a necktie, has insulting connotations but the form it describes is frequently worn by women and (mostly queer) men to empower and embolden through some wonderfully flamboyant decoration/adornment. The things we wear and meanings we attach to them are an endless source of fascination and inspiration to me.
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Huntersville, North Carolina
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@murojewelry
Website
Artist Statement
As an artist with a multidisciplinary background, my journey has taken me from architecture to painting and sculpting, ultimately leading me to jewelry making. Drawing inspiration from my diverse artistic experiences, I craft wearable art pieces that transcend boundaries and ignite a sense of wonder.
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Artist Statement
Inspired by haute couture, art history, Mindfulness, New Wave/Pop music and everything Bowie, Emiko Oye creates colorful hand-crafted art jewelry from repurposed LEGO®. She thrives on the challenge of taking what’s familiar and turning it on its head to transform the mundane into a conversation-sparking experience. Using jewelry as a vehicle to tap back into the nostalgic root of childhood, to unearth memory through the tactile. She’s delighted by similarities found in both LEGO® and jewelry: hands-on-story-telling capabilities, increased value with vintage, dedicated collectors, family heirloom. By utilizing an unexpected but universally familiar material such as LEGO® in her jewelry, the onlooker is lured in by his/her own narrative, creating an immediate, personal engagement with the work and likely to share their joyful experience with others.
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Durham, North Carolina
Curriculum Vitae
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@hewjewelryhewjewelry
Website
Artist Statement
My work centers on the use of found objects, raw, and ethically sourced materials. When I integrate semi-precious elements, I introduce these unique discoveries into a transitive context. As a result, my process is a derivative of my environment. Through experimentation, I endeavor to locate myself in my surroundings, as an artist—as a person. To put it simply, my work is shaped by materials that I am attracted to, and oftentimes I find myself captivated by an object because of my encounter with it. In this way, my experiences are carried forward with me, through the act of making.
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Vancouver BC, Canada
Curriculum Vitae
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@louise.perrone
Website
Artist Statement
My jewelry explores ideas about gender, labor, and sustainability, employing materials derived from domestic and industrial textile and plastic waste. The wearable objects I make are rooted in the traditions of goldsmithing and textile techniques traditionally associated with women’s work. Formally, my practice references the products of these two disciplines, such as jewelry, regalia, quilts and pin cushions. Through the meditative process of hand sewing, I can transform materials, just as the act of wearing jewelry can transform an individual. Although my materials have little or no intrinsic value, the time-consuming sewing techniques I have developed from English Paper Piecing patchwork and hand quilting diverts waste from landfill, creating wearable objects with new meaning and value.
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Viña del Mar, Chile
Curriculum Vitae
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@casakiro
Website
Artist Statement
Jewelry serves as a form of communication, not just with others but also with oneself. When we choose them, we envision who we want to be, empowering them in the process. My pieces aim to convey joy, lightness, and daring through butterflies: universal symbols of transformation, growth, and strength. For this exhibition, I've chosen to present two different techniques: hand-painted earrings layered with epoxy resin and sterling silver, inspired by the patterns and colors of various butterfly species worldwide. Additionally, fabric bracelets and a necklace employ sublimation techniques for image transfer. I fold and fix the fabric at certain points, transforming the flat surface into volumetric patterns with unexpected outcomes—a new, colorful, voluptuous, and lush nature. These pieces, specially crafted for this exhibition, mark a unique departure in my artistic journey.
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Greenville, North Carolina
Curriculum Vitae
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@lrsteiner7
Website
Artist Statement
Mica is a fascinating material; fragile looking yet flexible, flashy and lightweight, it's an excellent material for making jewelry. It plays well with metal, darkened silver helping to highlight the transparency of the mineral. Other gemstones bring in a splash of color, or a contrasting texture. When worn, my earrings become more than mere adornments. They become talismans of reverence: for the natural world and the geologic processes that create these materials ultimately sustain life.
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